LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


From  the  St.  Memin  portrait,  in  possession  of 
Dr,  Thomas  Addis  Emmet. 


Memoirs 

of 

Major-General  William  Heath 

By    Himself 
New  Edition,  with   Illustrations  and  Notes 


Edited  by 

William    Abbatt 


To  which  is  added 

The   Accounts  of  the    Battle  of   Bunker    Hill 

by 
Generals    Dearborn,  Lee  and  Wilkinson 


New  York 

William     Abbatt 

281  Fourth  Avenue 
I9OI 


Edition  limited  to  Five  Hundred 
Copies  (Seventy-five  on  Large  Paper), 
of  which  this  is  No. 


Original  Title  Page. 


M  E  M  O  I  R  S 


OF 


MAJOR-GENERAL  HEATH. 


CONTAINING 


ANECDOTES,  DETAILS  of  SKIRMISHES, 
BATTLES,  and  other  MILITARY  EVENTS, 


DURING    THE 


AMERICAN    WAR. 


WRITTEN  BT  HIMSELF. 


accotDing  to  3ft  of  Congrefc. 


PRINTED  AT  BOSTON, 

BY  I.  THOMAS  AND  E.  T.  ANDREWS, 

FAUST'S  STATUE,  No.  45,  NEWBURT-S>TREET. 

Sold  by  them;  by  I.THOMAS,  Worcefter;  by  THOMAS,  ANDREWS  #  PEN- 

NIMAN,  Albany;  by  THOMAS,  ANDREWS  &  BUTLER,  Baltimore; 

and  by  the  Bookfellers  throughout  the  Continent. 

AUG.   1798. 


Pac-smile  of  the  original. 


IT  was  not  the  intention,  to  publifli  the  Memoirs 
during  the  life-time  of  the  writer.  They  were  penned  for 
his  own  review,  and  the  information  and  fatisfaftion  of  his 
own  family,  as  well  as  pofterity  :  If  any  fhould  think  their 
prefent  publication  in  any  refpe&s  relative  to  himfelf  as  too 
oftentatious,  candour,  it  is  prefumed,  will  decide  that  there 
is  no  alternative,  unlefs  the  Memoirs  are  mutilated  in  faffs, 
or  demtd  at  prefent  a  publication.  The  preffmg  importunity 
of  very  many  is  the  fole  reafon  of  their  appearance  at 
this  time. 

SUCH  of  the  fa&s  as  happened  under  the  obfervation. 
or  within  the  immediate  knowledge  of  the  writer,  have  been 
impartially  narrated  :  Thofe  which  he  has  been  obliged  to 
collect  from  other  information,  have  been  as  faithfully  at 
tempted  ;  but  their  authenticity  cannot  be  equally  vouched 
for.  There  are  doubtlefs  many  errors.  It  is  the  lot  of 
man  to  be  fallible. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


SKETCH  OF  GENERAL  HEATH. 


IT  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  no  sufficient  material 
exists  for  a  satisfactory  sketch  of  this  valuable  officer's 
life.  He  was  a  New  Englander  of  old  stock,  bora  in  Rox- 
bury,  Massachusetts,  March  2,  1737,  on  the  farm  settled  by 
the  first  of  his  name,  the  emigrant  from  England  of  1636. 
Prom  youth  he  took  an  active  part  in  military  matters,  as 
a  colonel  in  the  Suffolk  County  militia  and  the  Boston  ar 
tillery,  and  in  1774  was  commissioned  as  a  brigadier-gen 
eral  by  the  State,  while  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Con 
gress  and  of  the  Committees  of  Safety  and  Correspond 
ence,  as  he  had  previously  been  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  State.  His  first  actual  service  was  in  the  pursuit  of 
the  British  on  the  retreat  from  Concord  and  Lexington, 
and  was  immediately  followed  by  the  hard  work  of  train 
ing  the  undisciplined  militia  assembled  at  Cambridge. 
His  experiences  at  Bunker  Hill  are  best  told  in  his  own 
words,  and  on  June  20  they  were  recognized  by  his  ap 
pointment  as  major-general.  When  Washington  organized 
the  Continental  Army,  he  accepted  the  lower  rank  of  brig 
adier — an  act  characteristic  of  the  man  who  in  eight  years' 
subsequent  service  seems  to  have  had  an  "  eye  single  "  to 
doing  his  duty,  Avithout  regard  to  punctilio,  precedence, 
or  the  various  petty  things  which  smaller  men  stood  stiffly 
upon.  Washington  early  learned  his  worth,  and  promo 
tion  to  major-general  came  in  August,  1776.  From  this 
time  on  the  Commander-in-Chief  reposed  the  utmost  con 
fidence  in  him,  and  after  the  battle  of  White  Plains  ap 
pointed  him  to  the  command  of  the  Hudson  River  posts. 
Tn  1777,  after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  and  the  march  of 


VI 

his  captive  troops  to  Boston,  General  Heath  had  the  \ery 
delicate  and  difficult  task  of  guarding  them  until  they 
were  removed  to  Virginia.  How  many  and  varied  the  dif 
ficulties  he  encountered,  the  correspondence  between  him 
self  and  the  chief  British  officers  attests. 

In  June,  1779,  he  returned  to  his  former  charge,  the 
posts  along  the  Hudson — an  office  of  the  first  importance, 
deemed,  in  fact,  by  Washington  second  only  to  the  com- 
mand-in-chief . 

Here  he  remained,  with  headquarters  at  Peekskill,  dur 
ing  the  rest  of  the  war,  excepting  only  a  short  period  dur 
ing  1780,  when  he  was  in  Rhode  Island. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  he  was  the  second  in  com 
mand  of  the  Army. 

Returning  to  Roxbury,  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  there,  honored  by  his  fellow-citizens  with  every  office 
which  he  could  be  persuaded  to  accept — senator,  judge  of 
probable,  etc. — and  finally  was  offered  the  lieutenant-gov 
ernorship  \vhich,  however,  he  declined. 

At  his  death,  January  24,  1814,  he  was  the  last  survivor 
of  the  major-generals  of  the  Revolution. 

He  left  several  children,  and  some  of  his  descendants 
still  reside  in  Boston. 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE. 


The  substance  of  the  notes  which  are  added  to  the  text  is  derived 
from  the  Revolutionary  records  published  by  the  various  States,  the 
chief  histories  of  the  Revolution,  Mr.  F.  B.  Heitman's  List  of  Conti 
nental  Officers,  Balch's  Our  French  Allies  and  some  few  other  authori 
ties. 

As  regards  spelling,  my  rule  has  been  to  let  the  original  stand  in 
the  first  instance  of  each  case,  with  an  explanatory  note,  but  to  correct 
it  in  each  succeeding  instance  without  further  explanation.  A  few 
spellings  are  unchanged:  <?.  g.,  Haarlem,  Peek's  Kill,  centinels,  etc. 

W.  A. 


Copyright,  1901 

by 
William   Abbntt. 


INTRODUCTION. 


ATURE  seems  to  have  decreed  that  not  only  the 
minor  branches  of  families,  when  they  arrive 
at  a  proper  age  of  maturity,  shall  separate 
from  their  parents,  and  become  distinct  fam 
ilies,  but  that  Colonies,  when  they  arrive  at  a 
certain  degree  of  population  and  affluence,  shall  separate 
from  the  mother  State  and  become  independent  and  sov 
ereign.  Howsoever  fit  and  proper  this  economy  of  nature 
may  be,  experience  has  taught  the  world,  that  it  has  been 
the  mistaken  policy  of  nations,  in  almost  all  ages, 
to  oppose  such  separations,  as  the  period  approx 
imates,  by  an  impolitic  exercise  of  power,  thereby 
alienating  the  affections  of  the  Colonists,  and 
rousing  in  their  breasts  those  innate  principles 
of  liberty  which  nature  hath  implanted;  (but  which 
had  they  not  been  awakened  by  a  severity  of  conduct, 
would  have  much  longer  reposed  on  the  bosom  of  a  mother, 
and  even  have  spurned  the  idea  of  separation)  and  have 
also  made  use  of  armed  force,  in  the  most  unnatural  and 
cruel  manner,  to  hold  in  subjection  those  by  nature  in 
every  respect  free  as  themselves.  And  in  the  prosecution 
of  a  war  thus  enkindled,  alliances  are  sought  for,  and 
formed,  by  both  parties,  even  with  those  who  before  were 
considered  as  the  enemies  of  each.  This  has  been  exempli 
fied  in  the  conduct  of  Great  Britain  towards  her  American 
Colonies,  and  by  the  people  of  the  now  United  States  of 
America,  in  their  struggle  for  freedom,  and  the  establish 
ment  of  independence  and  sovereignty. 

It  is  not  the  intention  of  the  writer  to  go  into  a  detail 
of  the  first  settlement  of  this  country,  or  the  vicissitudes 
which  have  attended  it  at  different  periods;  nor  of  the 
rise  of  the  late  revolution ;  as  these  have  alreadv  been  at- 


X 

tempted  by  several  writers,  and  probably  will  hereafter 
be  further  elucidated  by  other  pens. 

To  preserve  and  perpetuate  a  daily  Journal  of  occur 
rences,  through  nearly  the  whole  of  the  late  American 
war,  is  the  present  object.  And  although  the  following 
pages  are  not  decorated  with  the  flowers  of  Greece  or 
Rome,  and  for  their  diction  cannot  claim  the  patronage  of 
the  learned,  they  contain  a  state  of  facts  in  detail,  which 
may  not  be  unpleasing  to  posterity,  who  will  wish,  as  much 
as  is  possible,  to  learn  from  every  remaining  vestige,  the 
conduct  and  successes  of  their  ancestors,  in  that  revolution 
which  laid  the  foundation  of  the  independence  and  sover 
eignty  of  their  country.  To  them,  therefore,  are  the  fol 
lowing  Memoirs  bequeathed,  by  him  who  was  an  eye-wit 
ness  to  many  of  the  facts  which  are  related,  and  who  col 
lected  the  others  from  the  best  information  the  then  mo 
ment  and  circumstances  would  admit. 

That  the  United  States  of  America,  by  their  virtue,  their 
wisdom  and  their  valour,  may  support  and  maintain  the 
noble  achievements  of  their  ancestors,  and  render  them 
still  more  brilliant,  is  the  earnest  wish  of  their  devoted, 

Humble  Servant, 

W.  HEATH. 
Roxbury,  1798. 


MEMOIRS. 

1AJOR-GENERAL  WILLIAM  HEATH  descended 
from  an  ancient  family  in  Roxbury,  near 
Boston,  in  Massachusetts,  and  is  of  the  fifth 
generation  of  the  family  who  have  inherited 
the  same  real  estate,  (taken  up  in  a  state  of 
nature)  not  large,  but  fertile,  and  pleasantly  situa 
ted.  He  was  born  March  2d,  (old  style)  1737,  was 
brought  up  a  farmer,  of  which  profession  he  is  yet  pas 
sionately  fond.  He  is  of  middling  stature,  light  complex 
ion,  very  corpulent,  and  bald-headed,  which  led  the  French 
officers  who  served  in  America  very  frequently  to  com 
pare  him  to  the  Marquis  of  Granby1.  Prom  his  childhood 
he  was  remarkably  fond  of  military  exercises,  which  pas 
sion  grew  up  with  him,  and  as  he  arrived  at  years  of  ma 
turity  led  him  to  procure,  and  attentively  to  study,  every 
military  treatise  in  the  English  language  which  was  ob 
tainable.  This,  with  a  strong  memory,  rendered  him  fully 
acquainted  with  the  theory  of  war  in  all  its  branches  and 
duties,  from  the  private  soldier  to  the  Commander  in 
Chief. 

Through  the  inactive  state  of  the  militia  company  to 
which  he  belonged,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1765,  he  went 
over  to  Boston,  and  entered  a  member  of  the  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Artillery  Company.  This  immediately  recom 
mended  him  to  the  notice  of  the  Colonel  of  the  first  regi 
ment  of  militia  in  the  county  of  Suffolk,  who  sent  for  him, 
and  importuned  him  to  take  command  of  his  own  com 
pany;  to  which  Mr.  Heath  was  reluctant;  apprehensive 
that  his  youth,  and  stepping  over  those  who  had  a  better 
claim,  by  former  office  in  the  company,  to  the  command  of 

1  Chastellux's  Travels, 


2 

it,  might  produce  an  uneasiness.  He  was,  however,  com 
missioned  by  Gov.  Bernard1 ;  and  his  apprehensions  of  un 
easiness 'proved  to  be  groundless. 

In  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  he 
was  chosen,  and  served,  first  as  Lieutenant,  and  after 
wards  as  Captain. 

In  the  first  regiment  of  militia  of  Suffolk,  he  became 
the  military  favourite  of  Gov.  Bernard,  who  publickly  de 
clared,  that  he  would  not  only  make  him  Colonel  of  the 
regiment,  but,  if  it  were  in  his  power,  a  General  Officer 
also. 

As  the  dispute  between  Great  Britain  and  her  American 
Colonies  put  on  a  more  serious  aspect,  our  Captain  did 
not  hesitate,  for  a  moment,  to  declare  his  sentiments  in 
favour  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  his  fellow-country 
men.  This  alarmed  Gov.  Bernard's  apprehensions,  but 
did  not  alter  his  open  conduct  towards  our  Captain; 
though  he  privately  intimated,  that  if  he  should  promote 
him,  he  might  injure  the  cause  of  his  royal  master.  It  was 
afterwards  intimated  to  our  Captain,  that  if  he  was  not 
advanced  to  the  command  of  the  regiment,  he  might  rest 
assured,  that  his  feelings  would  never  (during  Gov.  Ber 
nard's  administration)  be  hurt  by  any  other  officer  being 
promoted  over  him;  which  was  verified;  Gov.  Bernard 
leaving  the  province  with  this  regiment  unorganized. 

Capt.  Heath,  convinced  that  the  cloud  was  rapidly  gath 
ering,  and  would  assuredly  burst  over  America,  in  the  be 
ginning  of  the  year  1770  commenced  his  addresses  to  the 
public,  under  the  signature  of  A  Military  Countryman, 
and  which  were  occasionally  continued  until  hostilities 
commenced.  In  them  he  urged  the  importance  of  military 
discipline,  and  skill  in  the  use  of  arms,  as  the  only  means, 
under  Heaven,  that  could  save  the  country  from  falling  a 
prey  to  any  daring  invader. 

Gov.  Hutchinson  succeeded  Gov.  Bernard.     He  organ- 

1  Sir    Francis     Bernard,     who     was     Governor     of     Massachusetts 
1760-69. 


3 

ized  the  first  regiment  in  Suffolk;  and,  as  might  be  ex 
pected,  our  Captain  had  a  respite  from  command. 

When  it  was  recommended  to  the  people  of  Massachu 
setts,  to  choose  officers  themselves  to  command  them,  our 
Captain  was  unanimously  chosen  to  take  the  command  of 
the  first  company  in  the  town  of  Koxbury,  (his  old  and 
favourite  company;)  and  on  the  meeting  of  the  Captains 
and  subalterns  of  the  first  regiment  of  militia  in  Suffolk, 
he  was  chosen  Colonel. 

The  people  of  Massachusetts,  having  determined  to  sup 
port  their  rights  and  liberties  at  every  hazard,  (finding 
that  such  was  the  sense  of  the  people  of  their  sister 
Colonies)  after  the  dissolution  of  their  General  Court, 
elected  a  Provincial  Congress.  This  Congress  appointed  a 
Committee  of  Safety  (of  whom  our  Colonel  was  one,) 
vested  with  executive  powers ;  and  another  committee, 
called  the  Committee  of  Supplies.  The  latter  were  to  pur 
chase  military  stores,  provisions,  &c.  and  deposit  them  in 
such  places  as  the  former  should  direct.  Both  committees 
entered  on  the  duties  of  their  respective  functions.  The 
Provincial  Congress  voted  a  sum  of  money  for  the  purpose 
of  procuring  military  stores  and  provisions;  and  a  quan 
tity  of  both  were  collected,  and  stored  in  the  town  of 
Concord. 

The  militia,  and  the  corps  of  minute-men,  as  they  were 
called,  (the  latter  composed  of  the  young  and  active) 
were  furnished  with  officers  of  their  own  choosing.  The 
greatest  attention  was  exhibited  by  the  officers,  which  was 
as  cheerfully  seconded  by  the  citizen  soldiers,  to  acquire 
a  knowledge  of  military  duty. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1775,  the  Provincial  Congress 
passed  the  following  resolutions : 

"In  Provincial  Congress,  Cambridge,  February  9^ 
1775— Resolved,  That  the  Hon.  Jedidiah  Preble1,  Esq.; 
Hon.  Artemas  Ward,  Esq.;  Col.  Seth  Pomeroy;  Col.  John 

1  Jedediah  Preble  (1707-84).  Cbmmodore  Edward    Preble,  U.    S.      N.,  was 
his  son. 


Thomas,  and  Col.  William  Heath,  be,  and  they  hereby  are, 
appointed  General  Officers,  whose  business  and  duty  it 
shall  be,  with  such  and  so  many  of  the  militia  of  this 
province  as  shall  be  assembled  by  order  of  the  Committee 
of  Safety,  effectually  to  oppose  and  resist  such  attempt  or 
attempts  as  shall  be  made  for  carrying  into  execution  an 
act  of  the  British  Parliament,  entitled,  "  An  Act  for  the 
better  regulation  of  the  Government  of  the  Province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England  " — or  who  shall  at 
tempt  the  carrying  into  execution,  by  force,  another  act 
of  the  British  Parliament,  entitled,  "  An  Act  for  the  more 
impartial  administration  of  justice,  in  cases  of  persons 
questioned  for  any  act  done  by  them  in  the  execution  of 
the  law,  or  for  the  suppression  of  riots  and  tumults  in  the 
Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay" — so  long  as  the  said 
militia  shall  be  retained  by  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and 
no  longer.  And  the  said  General  Officers  shall,  while  in 
the  said  service,  command,  lead  and  conduct,  in  such  op 
position,  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  above  named ;  any 
order  of  any  former  Congress  varying  herefrom,  notwith 
standing. 

In  Provincial  Congress,  Cambridge,  February  15£/f, 
1775— Resolved,  That  the  Hon.  John  Whitcomb,  Esq.,  be 
added  to  the  General  Officers. 

A  true  extract  from  the  minutes, 

(Signed)     BENJ.  L.NCOLN,  Setfy." 

Gen.  Preble  declined  the  service. 

In  the  month  of  March  following,  the  Provincial  Con 
gress  appointed  a  committee  to  make  a  minute  inquiry 
into  the  state  of  the  operations  of  the  British  army.  On 
the  20th  of  the  same  month,  the  committee  reported,  that 
the  British  army  then  consisted  of  about  2850  men,  dis 
tributed  as  follows:  On  Boston  common,  about  1700;  on 
Fort-Hill,  400;  on  Boston  Neck,  340;  in  barracks  at  the 
Castle,  330;  quartered  in  King-street,  80;— that  they  were 
erecting  works  on  Boston  Neck,  on  both  sides  of  the  way, 
well  constructed  and  well  executed;  the  works  were  in 


5 

forwardness,  and  then  mounted  with  ten  brass  and  two 
iron  cannon;  that  the  old  fortification,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  town,  was  repaired,  and  rendered  much  stronger  by 
the  addition  of  timber  and  earth  to  the  parapet;  that  ten 
pieces  of  iron  cannon  were  mounted  on  the  old  platforms ; 
that  a  block-house  brought  from  Governor's  Island,  was 
erecting  on  the  south  side  of  the  Neck,  between  the  old 
fortification  and  the  new  works  advanced  on  the  Neck. 

On  the  18th  of  April,  our  General  had  been  sitting  with 
the  Committee  of  Safety,  at  Menotomy  in  Cambridge;  and 
on  his  return  home,  soon  after  he  left  the  committee,  and 
about  sun-setting,  he  met  eight  or  nine  British  officers  on 
horseback,  with  their  swords  and  pistols,  riding  up  the 
road  towards  Lexington.  The  time  of  day,  and  distance 
from  Boston,  excited  suspicion  of  some  design.  They  in 
deed  were  out  reconnoitring  and  getting  intelligence, 
but  were  not  molested. 

On  the  19th,  at  day-break,  our  General  was  awoke, 
called  from  his  bed,  and  informed  that  a  detachment  of 
the  British  army  were  out;  that  they  had  crossed  from 
Boston  to  Phipps'  farm,  in  boats,  and  gone  towardis  Con 
cord,  as  was  supposed,  with  intent  to  destroy  the  public 
stores.  They  probably  had  notice  that  the  committees  had 
met  the  preceding  day  at  Wetherby's  tavern,  at  Me 
notomy;  for,  when  they  came  opposite  to  the  house,  they 
halted.  Several  of  the  gentlemen  slept  there  during  the 
night.  Among  them  were  Col.  Orne1,  Col.  Lee,  and  Mr. 
Gerry.  One  of  them  awoke,  and  informed  the  others  that 
a  body  of  the  British  were  before  the  house.  They  immedi 
ately  made  their  escape,  without  time  to  dress  themselves, 
at  the  back  door,  receiving  some  injury  from  obstacles  in 
the  way,  in  their  undressed  state.  They  made  their  way 
into  the  fields.  The  country  was  immediately  alarmed, 
and  the  minute-men  and  militia  turned  out  with  great 
spirit.  Near  Lexington  meeting-house  the  British  found 

1  Azor  Orne.    Arthur  Lee.    Elbridge  Gerry. 


6 

the  militia  of  that  town  drawn  up  by  the  road.  Towards 
these  they  advanced,  ordered  them  to  disperse,  huzzaed, 
and  fired  upon  them;  when  several  were  killed  and 
wounded,  and  the  rest  dispersed.  This  was  the  first  shed 
ding  of  blood  in  the  American  war. 

This  company  continuing  to  stand  so  near  to  the  road, 
after  they  had  certain  notice  of  the  advancing  of  the 
British  in  force,  was  but  a  too  much  braving  of  danger; 
for  they  were  sure  to  meet  with  insult,  or  injury,  which 
they  could  not  repel.  Bravery,  when  called  to  action, 
should  always  take  the  strong  ground  on  the  basis  of  rea 
son. 

The  British  proceeded  on  to  Concord,  where  they  de 
stroyed  a  part  of  the  stores,  while  others  were  saved  by  the 

The  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  has  published  a  volume  known 
as  the  Heath  Papers,  composed  of  letters  addressed  to  General  Heath 
by  Washington.  From  the  printed  records  of  the  Society's  proceed 
ings,  I  have  made  some  extracts: — 1859: — An  abstract  only  of  the  fol 
lowing  interesting  paper  appears  in  the  "Memoirs,"  where  it  is 
stated  that  this  report  was  made  on  the  20th  of  March,  1775.  There  is 
no  record  of  the  presentation  of  this  paper  in  the  journals  of  the  Pro 
vincial  Congress,  which  adjourned  on  the  16th  of  February,  and  re 
assembled  on  the  22d  of  March.* 

(I  continue  the  paper  from  where  the  General  ends  his  summary. — Ed-) 
That  on  the  18th  .instant  colors  were  planted  and  afterwards  stakes 
put  down  near  the  Salt  pond  (so-called)  on  Boston  Neck,  in  a  parallel 
line  from  the  dike  on  the  south  side  to  the  dike  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Neck;  but  that  on  the  night  following,  the  stakes  were  taken  away 
by  some  person  or  persons  unknown.  This,  as  a  major  of  one  of  the 
regiments  declared,  was  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  make  some  ob 
servations  and  to  ascertain  some  distances.  That  on  the  morning  of 
yesterday,  being  the  19th  instant,  it  was  reported  that  a  standard  was 
erected  on  a  hill  on  Dorchester  side,  opposite  to  the  old  fortification 
which  alarmed  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Boston;  upon  which 
several  gentlemen  went  over,  and  found  the  mast  of  a  small  boat 
erected,  with  an  old  two-bushel  bag  thereon,  which  they  instantly  cut 
down:  on  which  an  officer  came  from  the  schooner  stationed  in  the 
bay,  and  demanded  the  reason  for  striking  the  flag-staff.  He  was  in 
formed  by  the  gentlemen  that  as  they  knew  not  who  erected  it,  and  as 
it  gave  uneasiness  to  the  town,  they  had  done  it:  to  which  the  officer 
replied  that  he  was  extremely  sorry;  that  it  was  erected  for  them  to 
take  some  particular  marks  at  high  water;  and  hoisted  it  again,  saying 
he  would  see  that  it  was  struck  in  about  two  hours;  which  was  lone 
accordingly.  The  distance  from  the  old  fortification  across  the  bay  to 
Dorchester  side  is  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile;  from  the  water's 
edge  to  the  place  where  the  staff  was  erected  about  two  hundred  yards 
'Journals  of  Provincial  Congress,  p.  109. 


vigilance,  activity,  or  policy  of  the  inhabitants.  In  the 
latter,  a  Oapt.  Wheeler1  practised  with  such  address,  as  to 
save  a  considerable  quantity  of  flour,  although  exposed  to 
the  critical  examination  of  a  British  officer. 

The  British  had  sent  a  party  to  the  North  Bridge, 
while  they  were  destroying  the  stores  in  the  town.  A  body 
of  militia,  who  had  retreated  beyond  the  bridge,  and  col 
lected  in  this  quarter,  now  marched  up  resolutely  to  the 
bridge.  The  British  officer,  finding  their  firmness,  ordered 
his  men  to  fire,  which  they  did,  and  two  men  of  the  militia 
were  killed.  The  fire  was  briskly  returned ;  some  were  killed 
and  wounded  of  the  enemy,  and  an  officer  taken  prisoner. 
The  British  party  retreated  with  precipitation  to  their 
main  body,  and  the  whole  soon  commenced  their  retreat 
towards  Boston;  the  militia  galling  them  on  all  sides. 
This  detachment,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Smith,  must 
have  been  worn  down,  and  the  whole  of  them  killed,  or 
taken  prisoners,  had  it  not  been  for  the  reinforcement 
sent  out  to  them,  under  the  command  of  Lord  Percy,  with 
two  field-pieces,  who  joined  them  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
town  of  Lexington. 

Our  General,  in  the  morning,  proceeded  to  the  Commit 
tee  of  Safety.  From  the  committee,  he  took  a  cross  road  to 
Watertown,  the  British  being  in  possession  of  the  Lexing 
ton  road.  At  Watertown,  finding  some  militia  who  had 
not  marched,  but  applied  for  orders,  he  sent  them  down 
to  Cambridge,  with  directions  to  take  up  the  planks,  bar 
ricade  the  south  end  of  the  bridge,  and  there  to  take  post; 
that,  in  case  the  British  should,  on  their  return,  take  that 
road  to  Boston,  their  retreat  might  be  impeded.  He  then 
pushed  to  join  the  militia,  taking  a  cross  road  towards 
Lexington,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  Dr.  Joseph  Warren, 
(afterwards  a  Major-General)  who  kept  with  him. 

Our  General  joined  the  militia  just  after  Lord  Percy 
had  joined  the  British ;  and  having  assisted  in  forming  a 

1  Probably  Adam  Wheeler,  captain  In  Doolittle'a  regiment. 


8 

regiment,  which  had  been  broken  by  the  shot  from  the 
British  field-pieces,  (for  the  discharge  of  these,  together 
with  the  flames  and  smoke  of  several  buildings,  to  which 
the  British,  nearly  at  the  same  time,  had  set  fire,  opened 
a  new  and  more  terrific  scene;)  and  the  British  having 
again  taken  up  their  retreat,  were  closely  pursued.  On 
descending  from  the  high  grounds  in  Menotomy,  on  to  the 
plain,  the  fire  was  brisk.  At  this  instant,  a  musket-ball 
came  so  near  to  the  head  of  Dr.  Warren,  as  to  strike  the 
pin  out  of  the  hair  of  his  earlock.  Soon  after,  the  right 
flank  of  the  British  was  exposed  to  the  fire  of  a  body  of 
militia,  which  had  come  in  from  Roxbury,  Brookline, 
Dorchester,  &c.  For  a  few  minutes  the  fire  was  brisk  on 
both  sides ;  and  the  British  had  here  recourse  to  their  field- 
pieces  again;  but  they  were  now  more  familiar  than  be 
fore.  Here  the  militia  were  so  close  on  the  rear  of  the 
British,  that  Dr.  Downer1,  an  active  and  enterprising  man, 
came  to  single  combat  with  a  British  soldier,  whom  he 
killed  with  his  bayonet. 

Not  far  from  this  place,  several  of  the  militia2  (among 
whom  was  Isaac  Gardner,  Esq.  of  Brookline,  a  valuable 
citizen)  imprudently  posted  themselves  behind  some  dry 
casks,  at  Watson's  Corner,  and  near  to  the  road,  unsus 
picious  of  the  enemy's  flank-guard,  which  came  behind 
them,  and  killed  every  one  of  them  dead  on  the  spot. 

The  militia  continued  to  hang  on  the  rear  of  the  British, 
until  they  reached  Bunker's  Hill  in  Charlestown ;  and  it 
had  become  so  dusk,  as  to  render  the  flashes  of  the  muskets 

IDr.  Eliphalet  Downer,  of  Roxbury  (1744-1806),  was  a  noted 
practitioner  and  ardent  patriot.  Family  traditions  vary  as  to  the 
precise  details  of  the  encounter,  but  agree  that  he  killed'  the  soldier 
with  a  thrust  from  his  own  bayonet,  he  having  dropped  his  musket 
when  felled  by  a  blow  from  the  Doctor's  clubbed  gun.  The  Doctor 
afterward  served  as  ship's  surgeon,  was  captured  and  taken  to  Eng 
land,  and  imprisoned,  either  in  Gosport  prison  or  Portsea  jail  near 
Portsmouth,  but  escaped. 

2  Isaac  Gardner,  Moses  Richardson,  John  Hicks,  William  Marcy 
The  place  was  where  is  now  the  corner  of  North  Avenue  and  Spruce 
Street,  Cambridge;  the  time,  about  6  p.  m. 


I 

very  visible.  At  this  instant,  an  officer  on  horseback 
came  up  from  the  Medford  road,  and  inquired  the  circum 
stances  of  the  enemy;  adding,  that  about  700  men  \vere 
close  behind,  on  their  way  from  Salem  to  join  the  militia. 
Had  these  arrived  a  few  minutes  sooner,  the  left  flank  of 
the  British  must  have  been  greatly  exposed,  and  suffered 
considerably;  perhaps  their  retreat  would  have  been  cut 
off.  As  soon  as  the  British  gained  Bunker's  Hill,  they  im 
mediately  formed  in  a  line  opposite  to  the  Neck ;  when  our 
General  judged  it  expedient  to  order  the  militia,  who  were 
now  at  the  common,  to  halt  and  give  over  the  pursuit,  as 
any  further  attempt  upon  the  enemy,  in  that  position, 
would  have  been  futile. 

Our  General  immediately  assembled  the  officers  around 
him,  at  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill,  and  ordered  a  guard  to 
be  formed,  and  posted  near  that  place,  centinels  to  be 
planted  down  to  the  Neck  and  patrols  to  be  vigilant  in  mov 
ing  during  the  night ;  and  an  immediate  report  to  him,  in 
case  the  enemy  made  any  movements.  The  militia  were 
then  ordered  to  march  to  the  town  of  Cambridge;  where, 
below  the  town,  the  whole  were  ordered  to  lie  on  their 
arms. 

About  midnight  there  was  an  alarm  that  the  enemy  were 
coming  up  the  river.  It  proved  to  be  only  an  armed 
schooner,  probably  sent  to  make  discovery.  She  got 
a-ground,  and  continued  so  until  the  next  tide;  and  if 
there  had  been  a  single  field-piece  with  the  militia,  she 
might  have  been  taken.  The  marsh  was  too  deep  to  ap 
proach  sufficiently  near  to  do  any  execution  with  small 
arms ;  and  the  first  day's  hostilities  of  the  ever  memorable 
American  war,  was,  on  their  part,  without  a  single  piece  of 
cannon  in  the  field !  Gen.  Whitcomb1  was  in  this  day's 
battle. 

1  General  John  Whitcomb  (1713-85)  was  a  veteran  of  the  French 
and  Indian  War.  He  commanded  at  Lechmere's  Point  during  the  bat 
tle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  subsequently  declined,  on  account  of  age,  a 
commission  to  succeed  Artemas  Ward. 


10 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th,  our  General  ordered  Capt. 
John  Battle  of  Dedhain,  with  his  company  of  militia,  to 
pass  over  the  ground  which  had  been  the  scene  of  action 
the  preceding  day,  and  to  bury  such  of  the  slain  as  he 
should  find  unburied.  The  grounds  around  Cambridge 
were  immediately  reconnoitred,  and  alarm-posts  assigned 
to  the  several  corps;  and  in  case  the  British  should  come 
out  in  superior  force,  and  drive  the  militia  from  the  town, 
they  were  ordered  to  rally  and  form  on  the  high  grounds 
towards  Watertown. 

How  to  feed  the  assembled  and  assembling  militia,  was 
now  the  great  object.  All  the  eatables  in  the  town  of  Cam 
bridge,  which  could  be  spared,  were  collected  for  break 
fast,  and  the  college  kitchen  and  utensils  procured  for 
cooking.  Some  carcasses  of  beef  and  pork,  prepared  for 
the  Boston  market  on  the  18th,  at  Little  Cambridge,  were 
sent  for,  and  obtained ;  and  a  large  quantity  of  ship-bread 
at  Roxbury,  said  to  belong  to  the  British  navy,  was  taken 
for  the  militia.  These  were  the  first  provisions  which  were 
obtained. 

At  11  o'clock  A.  M.  our  General  appointed  Mr.  Joseph 
Ward,  a  gentleman  of  abilities,  his  Aide-de-camp  and 
Secretary,  (afterwards  Muster-Master-General  of  the 
army) who  entered  on  the  duties  of  his  new  office — This 
was  the  first  appointment  of  the  kind  in  the  American 
army.  Before  noon,  a  letter  was  received  from  the  Com 
mittee  of  Supplies  at  Concord,  expressing  their  joy  at  the 
event  of  the  preceding  day,  with  assurances  that  every  ex 
ertion  in  their  power  should  be  put  in  exercise,  to  forward 
supplies  to  the  militia  in  arms.  In  the  afternoon,  Gen. 
Ward  arrived  at  Cambridge,  who,  being  senior  in  the 
order  of  appointment,  took  the  command  accordingly. 

In  the  battle  on  the  19th,  the  British  were  said  to  have 
65  killed,  180  wounded,  and  28  made  prisoners ;  in  all,  273. 
Of  the  militia,  50  were  killed,  and  34  wounded;  in  all,  84. 
It  might  have  been  expected,  that  in  a  retreat  of  so  many 
miles,  the  Brtish  loss  would  have  been  greater;  but  it  is 


11 

to  be  remembered,  that  as  they  kept  the  road,  the  fences 
(a  large  proportion  of  which  are  stone  walls)  covered 
their  flanks  almost  up  to  the  height  of  their  shoulders.  It 
will  also  be  observed,  that  the  wounded  of  the  militia  did 
not  bear  the  common  proportion  with  the  killed,  and  is  an 
evidence  that  the  British  did  not  choose  to  encumber 
themselves  with  prisoners,  either  wounded  or  not,  as  the 
marks  left  at  Watson's  Corners,  and  on  the  height  above 
Menotorny  meeting-house  evinced.  Nor  was  the  dashing 
in  of  many  windows,  the  firing  of  musket-balls  into  the 
houses,  in  some  of  which  there  were  only  women  and  chil 
dren,  or  the  soldiers'  leaving  their  ranks,  and  going  into 
the  houses  to  plunder,  (in  consequence  of  which  a  number 
lost  their  lives)  marks  of  humanity  or  discipline1.  Their 
whole  force  on  this  enterprise,  including  the  reinforce 
ment,  was  from  1500  to  2000  of  their  best  troops. 

Gen.  Ward  was  now  the  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  as 
sembled  army,  and  exercised  the  immediate  command  on 
the  Cambridge  side;  while  Gen.  Thomas  had  the  immediate 
command  on  the  Roxbury  side.  A  few  days  after  this,  the 
Cambridge  camp  being  very  numerous,  and  the  Roxbury 
camp  judged  to  be  weak,  the  British  having  gone  over 
from  Charlestown  to  Boston,  Gen.  Ward  ordered  our 
General,  with  three  or  four  regiments,  to  march  from  Cam 
bridge,  and  reinforce  Gen.  Thomas;  and  he  continued  in 
the  Roxbury  camp  until  after  the  arrival  of  Gen.  Wash 
ington,  in  the  month  of  July. 

In  the  month  of  May,  the  Provincial  Congress  passed 
resolutions  for  raising  twenty-four  regiments,  to  serve  dur 
ing  the  remainder  of  the  year.  The  General  Officers  were 
each  to  have  a  regiment.  As  the  new  regiments  began  to 
recruit,  the  militia  went  home,  and  the  camps  became  very 

1  Stedman,  in  his  History  of  the  American  War,  Vol.  I.,  p.  119 
says:  "Several  of  Smith's  party  were  scalped  by  the  Americans-" 
than  which  nothing  can  be  more  untrue.  Both  the  wounded  and  the  dead 
were  treated  with  every  mark  of  humanity  and  decency.  (Original 
note) . 


12 

weak ;  that  at  Roxbury  did  not  exceed  1000  men.  Had  the 
British  sallied  at  that  time,  there  would  have  been^  but 
few  to  oppose  them  on  that  side.  However,  the  army  soon 
became  strong,  it  being  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  Gen. 
Putnam  from  Connecticut,  Gen.  Sullivan  from  New 
Hampshire,  and  Gen.  Greene  from  Rhode  Island ;  each 
with  a  respectable  body  of  troops;  and,  in  the  month  of 
June,  it  was  determined  to  take  possession  of  the  heights 
of  Charlestown.  Preparations  were  made  for  the  pur 
pose  ;  and  on  the  16th,  at  night,  a  strong  detachment  from 
the  American  army  marched  on,  and  broke  ground  on 
Breed's  Hill,  in  front  of  Bunker's  Hill.  The  latter  ought 
to  have  been  taken  possession  of  at  the  same  time,  but  it 
was  somehow  omitted. 

By  the  morning  of  the  17th,  the  troops  had  a  redoubt 
and  line  on  its  left  flank  in  good  forwardness,  when  they 
were  discovered  by  the  British.  The  Lively  man-of-war 
first  began  to  cannonade  the  Americans ;  she  was  soon  sec 
onded  by  other  ships,  floating  batteries,  and  some  heavy 
cannon  on  Cop's  Hill,  on  the  Boston  side,  which  the  Ameri 
cans  bore  with  a  good  degree  of  firmness,  and  continued  at 
their  work.  The  British  army  in  Boston  were  greatly 
alarmed  at  this  near  approach,  and  immediately  resolved 
on  an  attack,  before  the  works  could  be  completed.  A  de 
tachment  was  formed  for  the  purpose,  consisting  of  ten 
companies  of  Grenadiers,  ten  of  Light  Infantry,  and  the 
5th,  38th,  43d,  and  52d  regiments,  and  a  corps  of  artillery 
under  the  command  of  Maj.  Gen.  Howe,  and  Brig.  Gen. 
Pigot.  In  the  afternoon  they  landed  on  Charlestown 
Point  without  opposition,  where  they  were  afterwards  re 
inforced  by  the  47th  regiment,  and  first  battalion  of 
marines.  The  regiments  in  Cambridge  camp  were  ordered 
down  to  support  the  detachment  at  Charlestown,  and  to 
occupy  other  posts  thought  to  be  essential,  and  contiguous 
thereto.  The  British  began  their  attack  with  a  severe  fire 
of  artillery,  and  advanced  in  a  slow  and  regular  pace.  The 
Americans  who  had  marched  on  to  the  aid  of  the  detach- 


13 

ment,  consisting  of  the  New-Hampshire,  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut  troops,  hastily  formed  a  line  of  defence, 
composed  of  rails  and  other  materials  found  nearest  at 
hand.  This  line  extended  down  towards  the  low  ground  on 
the  left,  and  was  nobly  defended.  The  Americans  reserved 
their  fire  until  the  British  came  very  near,  when  they  gave 
it  to  great  effect;  it  staggered,  and  even  broke  them,  but 
they  rallied,  and  returning  to  the  charge  again  and  again, 
drove  the  Americans  from  the  lines  on  the  left  of  the  re 
doubt,  and  had  nearly  surrounded  it,  when  the  Americans 
rushed  out  of  the  redoubt,  their  ammunition  being  ex 
pended,  and  made  their  retreat,  even  through  a  part  of  the 
British  forces.  About  this  time  Maj.  Gen.  Warren,  who 
had  been  but  a  few  days  before  commissioned,  and  was 
then  on  the  hill  as  a  spectator  only,  was  killed.  A  number 
of  the  Americans  were  killed  in  retreating  from  Breed's 
Hill  to  Bunker  Hill,  and  some  in  passing  off  over  the 
Neck.  Perhaps  there  never  was  a  better-fought  battle 
than  this,  all  things  considered;  and  too  much  praise  can 
never  be  bestowed  on  the  conduct  of  Col.  William  Pres- 
cott,  who,  notwithstanding  any  thing  that  may  have  been 
said,  was  the  proper  commanding  officer  at  the  redoubt, 
and  nobly  acted  his  part  as  such,  during  the  whole  action. 

Just  before  the  action  began,  Gen.  Putnam  came  to  the 
redoubt,  and  told  Col.  Prescott  that  the  entrenching  tools 
must  be  sent  off,  or  they  would  be  lost;  the  Colonel  re 
plied,  that  if  he  sent  any  of  the  men  away  with  the  tools, 
not  one  of  them  would  return;  to  this  the  General  ans 
wered,  they  shall  every  man  return.  A  large  party  was 
then  sent  off  with  the  tools,  and  not  one  of  them  returned; 
in  this  instance  the  Colonel  was  the  best  judge  of  human 
nature. 

In  the  time  of  action,  Col.  Prescott  observing  that  the 
brave  Gen.  Warren  was  near  the  works,  he  immediately 
stepped  up  to  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  had  any  orders  to 
give  him.  The  General  replied  that  he  had  none,  that  he 


14 

exercised  no  command  there — "The  command,"  said  the 
General,  "  is  yours." 

While  many  officers  and  soldiers  gallantly  distinguished 
themselves  in  this  action,  others  were  blamed,  and  some 
were  brought  to  trial  by  court-martial.  This  was  a  sore 
battle  to  the  British,  who  did  not  forget  it  during  several 
campaigns,  nor  until  a  tide  of  successes  in  their  favour 
had  removed  it  from  their  minds.  Their  whole  force  on 
this  day,  which  was  in  action,  was  supposed  to  be  about 
2000,  and  their  whole  loss,  in  killed  and  wounded,  was  said 
to  be  upwards  of  1000,  of  whom  226  were  killed,  and  of 
these  19  were  commissioned  officers,  including  one  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel,  two  Majors,  and  seven  Captains.  Another 
account  stated  their  killed  and  wounded  to  be  753  privates, 
202  sergeants  and  corporals,  and  92  commissioned  officers ; 
in  the  whole,  1047.  The  loss  of  the  Americans,  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  prisoners,  about  450. 

At  the  time  the  British  made  their  attack,  the  houses  in 
Charlestown  were  set  on  fire,  and  burnt  most  furiously, 
which  increased  the  horrors  of  the  scene.  At  the  same 
time  a  furious  cannonade  and  throwing  of  shells  took 
place  at  the  lines  on  Boston  Neck,  against  Boxbury,  with 
intent  to  burn  that  town ;  but  although  several  shells  fell 
among  the  houses,  and  some  carcasses  near  them,  and 
balls  went  through  some,  no  other  damage  was  sustained 
than  the  loss  of  one  man  killed  by  a  shot  driving  a  stone 
from  a  wall  against  him. 

On  the  15th,  Congress  appointed  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 
Commander  in  Chief;  and  on  the  17th  Artemas  Ward, 
first  Major-General — Charles  Lee,  second  Major-General 
-Horatio  Gates,  Adjutant-General,  with  the  rank  of 
Brigadier-General ;  and  on  the  19th,  Philip  Schuyler,  third 
Major-General,  and  Israel  Putnam,  fourth  Major-Gen 
eral  ;  and  on  the  22d,  Seth  Pomeroy,  first  Brigadier-Gen 
eral — Richard  Montgomery,  second  do.  David  Wooster, 
third  do.  William  Heath,  fourth  do.  Joseph  Spencer, 
fifth  do.  John  Thomas,  sixth  do.  John  Sullivan,  seventh 


15 

do.  Nathaniel  Greene,  eighth  do ;  and  made  provision  for 
raising  an  army  for  the  defence  of  the  United  Colonies. 
Before  these  appointments  were  made  known  at  camp,  on 
the  21st  of  June,  our  General  received  from  the  Provincial 
Congress  a  commission  of  Major-General.  Generals 
Ward,  Thomas,  and  Warren  had  before  received  their 
commissions,  the  latter  just  before  he  was  slain.  Gen. 
Pomeroy  declining  an  acceptance  of  the  commission  from 
Congress,  that  Honorable  Body,  on  the  19th  of  July,  re 
solved  that  Gen.  Thomas  be  appointed  first  Brigadier-Gen 
eral  in  the  army  of  the  United  Colonies,  in  the  room  of 
Gen.  Pomeroy,  who  never  acted  under  the  commission 
sent  to  him,  and  that  Gen.  Thomas's  commission  bear  the 
same  date  that  Gen.  Pomeroy's  did;  indeed  this  was  the 
rank  to  which  Gen.  Thomas  was  entitled  by  former  stand 
ing.  Congress  now  also  appointed  Joseph  Trumbull  to  be 
Commissary- General  of  stores  and  provisions,  for  the 
army,  but  left  the  appointment  of  a  Quarter-Master-Gen 
eral,  and  some  other  officers,  to  Gen.  Washington,  who 
appointed  the  able  and  very  active  Col.  Thomas  Mifflin, 
Quarter-Master-General,  who  did  himself  much  honour, 
and  his  country  service,  in  this  important  department. 

Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  the  Ameri 
cans  began  to  erect  works  on  Prospect  Hill,  a  very  com 
manding  height  above  Charlestown  common,  and  at  several 
other  places.  Several  works  were  also  constructed  at 
Roxbury,  and  the  British  confined  to  Boston  and  Charles- 
town,  within  the  Neck. 

The  works  now  going  on,  both  on  the  Cambridge  and 
Roxbury  side,  were  considerable,  and  there  was  a  great 
want  of  engineers.  Col.  Gridley  was  chief  Engineer,  and 
was  aided  by  his  son.  But  the  strength  of  body,  activity 
and  genius  of  the  Americans  capable  of  constructing  with 
surprising  dispatch  any  works  in  which  they  were  guided, 
called  for  many  instructors  in  this  department.  Lieut. 
Col.  Rufus  Putnam,  of  Col.  David  Brewer's  regiment, 
was  very  serviceable  in  this  line,  on  the  Roxbury  side;  a 


16 

was  also  Capt.  Josiah  Waters  of  Boston,  and  Capt.  Bald 
win1  of  Brookfield,  (afterwards  Colonel  of  Artificers)  and 
others  on  the  Cambridge  side,  and  Capt.  Henry  Knox,  who 
had  been  an  officer  in  the  Boston  Grenadier  Company, 
(and  who  was  afterwards  at  the  head  of  the  American  ar 
tillery,  to  the  close  of  the  war)  occasionally  lent  his  aid. 
His  military  genius  and  acquaintance  with  our  General 
led  him  to  be  importunate  with  Capt.  Knox  to  join  the 
army :  not  did  he  need  persuasion  to  join  in  the  cause  of 
his  country.  His  removal  out  of  Boston,  and  the  then 
state  of  his  domestic  concerns,  required  some  previous  ar 
rangement;  as  soon  as  this  was  effected,  he  joined  the 
army. 

24th. — About  noon,  a  heavy  cannonade  and  throwing  of 
shells  from  the  lines  on  Boston  Neck  into  Roxbury — but 
no  damage  done.  Two  American  soldiers  attempting 
to  set  fire  to  Brown's  barn,  on  Boston  Neck,  were  killed  by 
the  British.  The  same  evening  two  heavy  cannon  were 
brought  to  the  work  on  the  hill  above  Roxbury  work-house. 

25th. — At  night,  an  attempt  was  made  to  burn  the  build 
ings  on  Boston  Neck ;  a  firing  took  place  between  the  par 
ties,  but  the  object  was  not  effected. 

26th. — A  party  of  British,  about  day-break,  advanced 
and  fired  on  the  American  centinels  near  the  George  tav 
ern.  The  picket  turned  out — the  British  retreated. 

July  1st. — A  platform  in  the  work  above  Roxbury  work 
house  being  laid,  a  24  pounder  was  mounted  and  dis 
charged  twice  at  the  British  lines ;  the  second  shot  grazed 
the  parapet  and  struck  on  the  parade,  and  occasioned  some 
confusion :  There  was  more  or  less  firing  of  cannon  on 
both  sides,  daily :  All  the  works  were  pushed  with  the  ut 
most  diligence. 

2d.— -About  2  o'clock,  P.  M.  Gen.  Washington,  at 
tended  by  several  officers,  arrived  at  the  camp  in  Cam 
bridge. 

1  Jeduthan  Baldwin,  1732-1788. 


17 

On  the  morning  of  this  day,  the  British  cannonaded 
briskly  from  their  lines  on  Boston  Neck  against  Roxbury, 
and  threw  some  shells ;  a  carcass  set  fire  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  Williams,  the  tinman,  which  was  burnt  down ;  by  the 
activity  of  the  troops,  the  flames  were  prevented  from 
spreading  further,  although  they  had  to  work  in  the  face 
of  a  constant  and  heavy  fire  from  the  enemy. 

5th. — Gen.  Washington,  accompanied  by  Major-Gen. 
Lee,  visited  the  Roxbury  camp,  works,  &c. 

8th. — A  little  after  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  num 
ber  of  volunteers,  under  the  command  of  Majors  Tup  per1 
and  Crane2,  attacked  the  British  advance  guard  at 
Brown's  house,  on  Boston  Neck,  and  routed  them,  took  a 
halbert,  a  musket,  and  two  bayonets,  and  burnt  the  two 
houses ;  the  store  and  barn  escaped  the  flames ;  a  scattering 
fire  at  the  out-post  continued  for  some  time ;  a  floating  bat 
tery  was  brought  up  into  the  bay,  and  moored  so  as  to 
cover  the  right  flank  of  the  British  works  on  the  Neck, 

llth. — In  the  morning,  a  party  of  Americans  drove  back 
the  British  advance  guard,  and  burnt  Brown's  store.  The 
same  night  a  detachment  went  on  to  Long-Island,  and 
brought  off  the  stock,  &c.  The  next  day  in  the  forenoon, 
Col.  Greaton  with  136  men,  went  on  to  Long-Island,  and 
burnt  the  barns;  the  flames  communicated  to  the  house, 
and  all  were  consumed.  An  armed  schooner  and  several 
barges  put  off  after  the  Americans,  and  some  of  the  ships 
of  war  near  the  island,  cannonaded  them.  The  detachment 
made  their  way  for  the  shore,  and  narrowly  escaped  being 
taken.  One  man  on  the  shore  who  came  to  the  assistance 
of  the  detachment,  was  killed:  it  was  supposed  that  sev 
eral  of  the  British  were  killed  and  wounded.  The  same 
day  six  transports,  appearing  to  be  full  of  men,  arrived  in 
Boston  harbour. 

13th. — A  heavy  cannonade  from  the  British,   at    the 

1  Major  Benjamin  Tupper  (17—  -1792)  of  Fellows'  regiment. 

2  Major   John   Crane    (17—1805)    of   Knox's   Artillery   regiment.     He 
was  afterward  colonel  and  brevet-brigadier. 


18 

American  workmen — but  no  damage  done.  Gen.  Washing 
ton  visited  the  camp.  The  men  were  employed  on  the 
works  going  on  upon  the  strong  rocky  hill,  (Col.  Wil- 
liams's)  to  the  south-west  of  those  above  Boxbury  work 
house.  This  was  one  of  the  strongest  works  which  were 
erected. 

14th. — The  British  fired  several  cannon,  and  a  Connecti 
cut  soldier  was  killed  in  the  street,  near  the  George  tavern. 
The  shot  entered  his  body,  drove  it  some  distance,  and 
lodged  in  him,  in  a  remarkable  manner. 

18th. — Five  transport  ships  arrived  in  Boston  harbour. 
Fresh  provisions  were  very  scarce  and  dear,  in  Boston — 
mutton  and  veal,  2s.  per  pound ;  fresh  beef  and  pork  a  pis- 
tareen,  salt  pork  sixpence. 

20th. — A  day  of  public  fasting — no  fatigue — all  still 
and  quiet. 

21st. — Major  Vose  returned  from  Nantasket.  The  de 
tachment  under  his  command  brought  off  1000  bushels  of 
barley,  all  the  hay,  &c. — went  to  Light-House  Island ;  took 
away  the  lamps,  oil,  some  gun-powder,  the  boats,  &c.  and 
burnt  the  wooden  parts  of  the  light-house.  An  armed 
schooner  and  several  boats  with  men,  engaged  the  detach 
ment  ;  of  the  Americans,  two  were  wounded. 

22d. — A  general  order  came  out  for  forming  the  army 
into  divisions  and  brigades. 

25th. — Maj.  Gen.  Ward  removed  from  Cambridge,  and 
took  the  immediate  command  of  the  troops  at  Roxbury 

29th. — The  British  formed  a  bomb  battery,  at  Bunker's- 
Hill,  and  advanced  their  advance  guard. 

30th. — In  the  morning  there  was  a  skirmish  at  Charles- 
town  Neck,  between  the  riflemen  and  some  British 
troops.  Two  of  the  latter  were  taken  prisoners,  and  sev 
eral  were  killed.  Of  the  riflemen,  one  was  killed.  The 
same  day,  the  British  advanced  over  the  Neck,  and  threw 
up  a  slight  work  to  cover  their  guard. 

31st. — A  little  before  one  o'clock,  A.  M.  a  British  float 
ing-battery  came  up  the  river,  within  300  yards  of  SewalPs 


19 

Point,  and  fired  a  number  of  shot  at  the  American  works, 
on  both  sides  of  the  river.  At  the  same  time  the  British, 
on  Boston  Neck,  sallied  towards  Roxbury;  drove  in  the 
American  centinels,  set  fire  to  the  George  tavern,  and  re 
turned  to  their  works.  The  same  morning,  Major  Tupper, 
with  300  Americans,  went  to  Light-House  Island,  attacked 
a  British  guard  of  33  marines,  killed  a  subaltern  officer 
and  several  soldiers,  took  23  prisoners,  several  refugees, 
and  burnt  all  the  buildings  on  the  island,  with  the  loss  of 
one  American  soldier.  There  was  a  firing,  during  the  day, 
from  the  British  at  Charlestown,  at  intervals.  Two  Ameri 
cans  were  killed;  an  officer,  and  several  British  soldiers, 
were  supposed  to  have  been  killed.  The  Americans  took 
several  muskets. 

August  2d. — There  was  a  considerable  firing  between 
the  advanced  parties,  and  the  Americans  burnt  a  barn, 
near  Charlestown  Neck,  in  which  the  British  had  some  hay. 
A  British  officer  was  wounded,  and  carried  within  their 
lines. 

4th. — A  ship  of  war  came  up  above  the  ferry,  at  Charles- 
town,  and  there  took  a  station. 

6th. — In  the  afternoon,  a  party  of  the  British,  in  two 
barges,  covered  by  a  floating  battery,  burnt  the  house  on 
the  other  side  of  Penny  Ferry. 

llth. — One  of  the  ships  which  had  been  stationed  above 
the  ferry,  went  down. 

15th. — There  was  a  smart  cannonade  on  the  Roxbury 
side.  There  was  more  or  less  firing  every  day;  but  little 
damage  done. 

17th. — A  shot  from  the  British  lines  on  Boston  Neck, 
struck  among  the  main  guard,  at  Roxbury,  and  damaged 
two  muskets  in  a  very  remarkable  manner;  but  did  no 
other  harm.  The  same  day  six  or  seven  tons  of  powder  ar 
rived  from  the  southward. 

18th. — Several  shells  were  thrown  into  Roxbury;  but  did 
no  damage. 


20 

26th. — The  Americans  broke  ground  on  Plowed  Hill,  in 
front  of  Bunker's  Hill,  without  molestation. 

27th. — There  was  a  brisk  cannonade  from  the  British 
on  Bunker's  Hill,  the  ship,  and  floating  batteries,  at  the 
Americans  on  Plowed  Hill.  Adjutant  Mumford,1  of  Col. 
Varnum's  Rhode-Island  regiment,  and  a  soldier,  belong 
ing  to  Col.  Hitchcock's2  regiment,  were  killed,  and  a  rifle 
man  lost  a  leg. 

28th. — In  the  night  the  camp  was  alarmed,  and  some  of 
the  troops  turned  out,  but  nothing  ensued.  The  fire  con 
tinued  against  Plowed  Hill ;  one  American  was  killed  and 
several  wounded. 

29th,  30th,  and  31st.— The  British  continued  their  can 
nonade  and  bombardment  of  Plowed  Hill.  One  shell  fell 
within  the  works;  but  no  damage  was  done. 

September  1st. — The  preceding  night  there  was  an  ex 
cessive  hot  cannonade  and  bombardment  from  the  British 
works,  on  Boston  Neck,  against  the  works  at  Roxbury.  Two 
Americans  were  killed,  and  several  wounded. 

2nd. — The  British  threw  up  a  slight  work  on  Boston 
Neck,  advanced  of  their  lines,  to  cover  their  guard.  Can 
nonading  and  throwing  of  shells,  on  this  day,  both  against 
Roxbury  and  Plowed  Hill.  Two  shells  fell  into  the  works 
on  the  latter,  but  did  no  harm. 

5th.— A  sergeant,  belonging  to  the  64th  British  regi 
ment,  and  a  seaman,  were  taken  prisoners  at  Noddle's  Is 
land.  The  heavy  rains,  about  this  time,  did  some  damage 
to  the  American  works.  Preparations  were  made  for  send 
ing  a  detachment  to  Canada. 

6th. — The  Americans  advanced  some  works  towards 
Boston  Neck,  without  molestation. 

9th.— Two  riflemen  deserted  to  the  British.  A  number 
of  British  soldiers,  at  different  times,  had  come  over  to  the 
Americans. 

1  Isaac  Mumford,  9th  R   I 


21 

10th. — A  strong  work  at  Lamb's  Dam,  in  Roxbury,  was 
completed,  and  mounted  with  four  18  pounders.  The  same 
day,  a  shot  from  the  British  destroyed  three  muskets  at 
Roxbury. 

llth. — A  boat,  with  six  or  seven  British  soldiers,  was 
driven  on  shore  at  Dorchester.  They  were  taken  prisoners 
and  sent  in. 

13th. — A  detachment,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Ar 
nold,  marched  for  Canada.  They  were  to  take  a  north 
eastern  route,  up  the  Kennebeck  River,  and  down  the  river 
Chaudiere. 

Generals  Schuyler  and  Montgomery  were  making  their 
way  into  Canada,  with  a  considerable  force,  by  way  of  the 
lakes.  They  had  advanced  as  far  as  Fort  St.  John's ;  but, 
finding  that  this  fort  would  make  considerable  resistance, 
they  fell  back.  Schuyler  returned  to  Albany,  to  hold  a 
treaty  with  the  Indians;  and  Montgomery  waited  for  the 
arrival  of  his  artillery,  that  he  might  reduce  the  forts. 

Some  time  before  this,  Col.  Ethan  Allen,  of  the  New- 
Hampshire  Grants,  (since  Vermont)  with  a  number  of  vol 
unteers,  took  possession  of  Ticonderoga.  The  artillery,  se 
cured  by  Allen,  were  an  acquisition  to  the  Americans ;  and 
Colonel  Knox  went  up  the  next  winter,  and  selected  and 
brought  forward  a  number  of  pieces  to  the  camp  before 
Boston.  The  garrison  of  this  place,  which  was  commanded 
by  a  Captain,  apprehending  no  danger,  were  negligent, 
and  remiss  in  duty.  Allen  was  acquainted  at  the  place, 
and  now,  as  is  said,  requested  a  part  of  the  garrison  to  aid 
him,  in  transporting  some  goods.  Nearly  half  the  garri 
son  were  granted  him.  These  were  plentifully  served  with 
liquor;  and,  in  the  night,  Allen  entered  the  fort,  and  de 
manded  a  delivery  of  it.  The  commandant  asking  by  what 
authority  he  required  him  to  surrender,  Allen  replied— 
''  I  demand  it  in  the  name  of  the  great  Jehovah  and  the 
Continental  Congress."  He  also  took  possession  of  Crown- 
Point;  and,  before  Montgomery  was  ready  to  proceed 
against  the  Forts  Chambly  and  St.  John's,  Allen  deter- 


22 

mined  to  surprise  Montreal.  For  this  purpose,  he 
marched  across,  with  a  body  of  militia;  but  he  was  met, 
before  he  got  to  the  town,  by  what  force  the  British  could 
collect  there,  who  attacked  and  defeated  Allen,  taking 
him,  and  a  number  of  his  party,  prisoners.  He  was  put  in 
irons,  and  sent  in  a  man-of-war  to  England.  His  narra 
tive  was  long  since  published. 

18th. — Several  seamen  deserted  from  the  British — they 
brought  off  three  boats.  The  same  day,  a  cannon  shot, 
from  the  lines  on  Boston  Neck,  went  through  the  guard 
house  at  Eoxbury.  A  splinter  wounded  the  Captain  of  the 
guard. 

21st. — The  cannonade,  which  continued  more  or  less 
every  day,  was  more  brisk  at  some  workmen,  between 
Plowed  Hill  and  Prospect  Hill.  Two  Americans  were 
wounded. 

23d. — A  brisk  cannonade  and  bombardment  on  the 
works  at  Koxbury — 108  cannon  and  mortars  were  dis 
charged,  but  no  damage  done. 

29th.— 500,000  dollars  in  Continental  bills,  were 
brought  to  Head-Quarters,  from  Philadelphia.  Several 
deserters  from  the  British,  about  this  time. 

October  3d  and  4th.— General  Officers  in  council,  on  the 
supposed  treachery  of  Dr.  Church1,  who  was  taken  into 
close  custody,  and  afterward  kept  in  confinement. 

6th.— A  brisk  cannonade  at  Roxbury.  An  American  lost 
an  arm.  An  18  pound  shot  went  through  the  gate-way,  at 
the  British  lines,  as  their  guard  was  marching  out. 

8th.— The  British  did  some  mischief  at  Bristol,  in 
Rhode-Island.  The  report  of  the  cannon  were  heard  at 
camp. 

17th.— Two  American  floating-batteries  were  rowed 
down  the  river;  several  shot  were  discharged  towards  the 
British.  A  9  pounder  burst,  and  5  or  6  men  were  wounded  • 
one  of  which  died  soon  after. 

whch  °f    Boston-"th*    ^st    American    traitor." 

which  he  was  a  passenger  was  lost  at  sea  in  May,  1776. 


23 

22d. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  some  British  ships 
had  entered  the  harbour  of  Casco  Bay,  and  burnt  a  part  of 
the  town  of  Falmouth. 

November  4th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  the 
British  fort  at  Chambly,  on  the  lake,  had  surrendered  to 
the  Americans.  The  artillery  and  military  stores  in  this 
fort  were  truly  an  acquisition.  The  privateers  fitted  out 
toy  the  Americans,  about  this  time,  began  to  send  in  a  few 
prizes. 

9th. — At  the  top  of  high  water,  the  tide  being  very  full, 
some  British  light  infantry,  in  boats,  came  over  from  Bos 
ton,  and  landed  on  Lechmere's  Point.  The  centinels  on 
the  point  came  off;  the  alarm  was  given;  and  several 
hundred  Americans  forded  over  the  causeway,  in  the  face 
of  the  British,  the  water  at  least  two  feet  deep.  The 
British,  seeing  the  spirit  of  the  Americans,  although  they 
were  very  advantageously  posted,  made  a  precipitate  re 
treat  to  their  boats.  Three  or  four  Americans  were 
wounded,  one  mortally.  The  British  ship  and  floating  bat 
teries  kept  up  a  brisk  fire ;  but  to  little  purpose. 

llth. — The  King  of  England's  Proclamation  for  sup 
pressing  rebellion  (as  he  called  it)  made  its  appearance. 
It  Avas  taken  on  board  a  vessel  from  Ireland,  which  was 
captured  by  an  American  cruiser.  It  was  reported  that 
the  British  had  received  a  reinforcement. 

14th. — Intelligence  was  received  of  the  capitulation  of 
the  British  garrison  of  Port  St.  John's1  on  the  lake.  Mont 
gomery  was  now  proceeding  rapidly  into  Canada.  His 
troops  took  possession  of  Montreal  on  the  13th. 

16th. — Several  deserters  came  in,  and  two  soldiers  were 
taken  prisoners. 

22d. — A  strong  detachment  from  the  army,  under  the 
command  of  Maj.  Gen.  Putnam,  broke  ground  on  Cobble 

1  One  who  was  destined  to  a  melancholy  prominence  in  our  Revolu 
tion,  was  among  the  prisoners  on  this  occasion — Lieutenant  after 
wards  Major,  John  Andre. 


Hill,  without  annoyance.  The  fatigue  men  worked  until 
near  break  of  day,  when  the  whole  came  off. 

23d. — At  night,  our  General,  with  a  detachment  of  sim 
ilar  strength  to  that  of  the  preceding  night,  were  ordered 
to  Cobble  Hill,  to  complete  the  works.  A  sally  from  the 
British  was  expected,  and  Col.  Bridge1  with  his  regiment 
was  ordered  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  to  patrol  towards 
the  bay  and  Neck,  constantly,  during  the  night.  The  picket 
at  Prospect  Hill  was  also  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  suc 
cour  the  troops  at  the  works,  if  they  were  attacked;  and 
Col.  Bond's2  regiment  also  lay  on  their  arms;  but  the 
British  did  not  move.  Two  of  the  British  centinels  came 
off  in  the  night  to  the  detachment;  the  whole  came  off  at 
day-break;  and  other  troops  were  ordered  on  the  works, 
in  the  day  time,  now  in  good  forwardness,  and  defensible. 

25th. — An  additional  ship  came  up  and  took  station  at 
the  ferry.  Upon  a  few  shot  being  fired,  by  the  American 
advance  centinels,  the  British  drums  on  Bunker's  Hill 
beat  to  arms,  which  were  followed  by  the  Americans.  At 
this  time  the  British  were  erecting  several  bomb-batteries 
at  Boston  to  annoy  the  Americans.  Col.  Enos,  who  was  of 
Col.  Arnold's  detachment,  from  the  army  destined  to  cross 
the  woods  by  a  north-eastern  route  into  Canada,  having 
proceeded  a  very  considerable  distance,  Arnold's  sick  re 
turning  back,  and  his  own  men  growing  sickly,  returned 
with  his  part  of  the  detachment.  This  lessened  the  ex 
pectation  of  success  to  the  American  army  in  Canada. 

30th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  Cape  Ann,  that 
a  vessel  from  England,  laden  with  warlike  stores,  had  been 
taken  and  brought  into  that  place.  There  was  on  board  one 
13  inch  brass  mortar,  2000  stand  of  arms,  100,000  flints, 
32  tons  of  leaden  ball,  &c.  &c.  A  fortunate  capture  for  the 
Americans ! 

December  2d.— The  brass  13  inch  mortar,  and  sundry 

1  Ebenezer  Bridge  (1742-1823). 

2  William     Bond      (d.     1776)      was     lieutenant-colonel     of     Gardner's 

Massachusetts  regiment. 


25 

military  stores,  taken  in  the  ordnance  prize,  were  brought 
to  camp. 

5th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  Col.  Arnold  had 
made  his  way  safely  into  Canada. 

12th. — A  causeway  was  begun  over  the  marsh,  to  Lech- 
mere's  Point.  Two  18  pounders  were  brought  from  Rox- 
bury,  and  mounted  at  Cobble  Hill. 

13th. — An  express  arrived  from  Marblehead,  with  ad 
vice  that  three  British  men-of-war  were  standing  for  that 
harbour.  Col.  Glover's  regiment,  with  Capt.  Foster's1 
company  of  artillery,  and  a  company  of  riflemen,  were  or 
dered  to  march  to  Marblehead  with  all  expedition. 

14th,  15th,  and  16th. — Approaches  were  carried  briskly 
on  to  Lechmere's  Point,  and  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  hill. 

17th. — The  morning  was  foggy.  A  detachment  of  300 
men,  under  the  direction  of  Gen.  Putnam,  broke  ground 
on  the  top  of  the  hill,  on  Lechmere's  Point,  at  a  distance 
of  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the  ship.  Between 
twelve  and  one  o'clock,  the  fog  cleared  away,  and  the  ship 
began  to  cannonade  the  Americans,  with  round  and  grape 
shot,  and  some  shells  were  thrown  from  West-Boston.  One 
soldier  was  wounded,  and  the  party  driven  from  the 
works.  Several  cannon  were  fired  from  Cobble  Hill,  at  the 
ship;  one  shot  was  supposed  to  have  struck  her. 

18th. — Our  General  was  ordered,  with  300  men,  to  pros 
ecute  the  work  begun  on  Lechmere's  Point.  It  was  ex 
pected  that  this  would  have  been  a  bloody  day,  and  Dr. 
Downer,  one  of  the  surgeons,  was  ordered  down  with  the 
detachment,  with  his  instruments,  &c.  to  assist  the 
wounded.  Fortunately  for  the  detachment,  Capt.  Smith 
of  the  artillery,  had,  in  the  morning,  discharged  an  18 
pounder  from  Cobble  Hill  at  the  ship,  which  induced  her 
to  weigh  anchor,  and  run  below  the  ferry-way. 

When  our  General  arrived  nearly  at  the  summit  of  the 

1  Capt.   Thomas    Waite    Foster    was    successively    in    Gridley's    and 
Knox's  Artillery,  1775-6. 


26  [1115 

hill,  lie  halted  the  detachment,  and  went  forward  himself 
and  took  a  view  of  the  state  of  the  works,  which  in  some 
places  were  but  just  begun;  in  others  were  carried  half 
way  up.  He  then  ordered  the  front  company  to  move  up 
the  hill,  ground  their  arms,  and  move  into  a  part  of  the 
works  assigned  to  them — and  so  on  through  the  whole,  to 
prevent  confusion  in  entering  the  works,  and  thereby  in 
creasing  an  object  to  the  British  gunners.  As  soon  as  the 
men  were  placed  in  the  works,  two  centinels  were  posted 
to  watch  the  British  batteries,  with  orders,  on  discovering 
the  discharge  of  cannon,  to  call  out,  a  shot!  The  men  in 
the  works  were  ordered  to  be  steady;  on  the  signal  of  a 
shot,  to  settle  down  and  remain  so,  until  the  shot  had 
struck;  or  if  a  shell,  until  it  had  burst;  then  to  rise  and 
prosecute  the  work — no  man  to  step  out  of  his  place.  In  a 
very  short  time,  a  shot  was  cried  by  the  centinels.  It 
proved  to  be  a  shell,  which  fell  and  burst  within  a  few  feet 
of  a  part  of  the  workmen,  throwing  the  dirt  among  them, 
and  a  piece  of  the  shell  hitting  a  soldier's  hat.  On  the  sec 
ond  discharge  the  men  fell  as  before;  when,  on  rising,  two 
or  three  heavy  cannon-shot  struck  in  the  face  of  the  work ; 
the  British  having  discharged  the  cannon  in  such  time 
after  the  mortar,  as  that  the  shot  might  take  effect  just  as 
the  men  arose  after  the  bursting  of  the  shell :  but  in  this 
they  did  not  succeed ;  the  men  being  ordered  to  keep  down 
until  both  had  struck.  Finding  this  deception  to  fail,  a 
shell  was  broke  in  the  air,  directly  over  the  party,  at  60  or 
70  feet  high.  This  also  had  as  little  effect  upon  the  Ameri 
cans.  The  fire  continued  until  the  afternoon,  when  it 
ceased:  and  it  was  afterwards  learnt,  that  the  command 
ing-officer  of  the  British  artillery,  who  stood  and  observed 
the  effect  of  their  fire  upon  the  Americans,  went  to  their 
General  and  informed  him  that  from  his  own  observation, 
their  fire  had  no  other  effect  than  to  inure  the  Americans 
to  danger,  and  advised  its  discontinuance.  In  the  after 
noon,  Gen.  Washington  and  several  other  General  Officers 
came  on  to  the  Point.  Towards  night,  the  detachment 


1776]  27 

were  ordered  to  move  out  of  the  works  by  companies,  as 
they  went  in ;  take  up  their  arms,  move  under  the  hill,  and 
form  the  detachment;  from  whence  it  was  marched  to 
Cambridge,  attended  by  their  surgeon,  who  had  been  in 
waiting  ail  the  day,  but  had  no  occasion  to  draw  his  in 
struments  from  their  case,  or  a  bandage  or  dressing  from 
his  box. 

19th. — The  prosecution  of  the  work  on  Lechrnere's  Point 
was  continued.  The  British  cannonaded  and  bombarded 
the  new  detachment ;  but  to  no  effect.  The  same  took  place 
on  the  20th.  On  this  day,  a  13  inch  shell  was  thrown  al 
most  up  to  No.  2.  It  was  probably  thrown,  either  at  the 
works  before  mentioned,  or  at  the  colleges.  It  did  not 
burst.  Nearly  five  pounds  of  powder  was  taken  out  of  the 
shell. 

22d. — The  British  threw  one  shell,  and  fired  two  shot, 
from  Bunker's  Hill  in  Charlestown,  at  the  works  on  Lech- 
mere's  Point.  The  cannonade,  &c.  continued,  on  the  23d 
and  24th;  but  to  no  effect. 

28th. — A  strong  detachment  from  Winter  Hill  marched, 
in  the  night,  to  surprise  the  British  outposts  in  Charles- 
town.  They  passed  on  the  south  side  of  Cobble  Hill,  and 
were  to  cross  the  cove  on  the  ice.  When  they  came  to  the 
channel,  it  was  found  to  be  open.  A  soldier  slipping  down 
on  the  ice,  his  piece  accidentally  went  off,  which  caused 
an  alarm,  and  the  detachment  returned. 

31st. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  there  had  been  an 
action  at  Norfolk1  in  Virginia,  between  Dunmore's  army 
and  the  Virginians,  to  the  advantage  of  the  latter.  Fifty 
of  the  regular  troops  were  said  to  have  been  killed  and 
wounded;  among  the  former  was  Capt.  Fordyce,  -of  the 
14th  British  regiment,  an  active  and  good  officer.  The 
Virginians  had  not  a  man  killed.  Dunmore's  force  was 
supposed  to  be  about  500. 

January    1st,    1776,  presented  a  great  change  in  the 

1  This  was  the  battle  of  Great  Bridge. 


American  army.  The  officers  and  men  of  the  new  regi 
ments  were  joining  their  respective  corps;  those  of  the  old 
regiments  were  going  home  by  hundreds  and  by  thousands. 
The  best  arms,  such  as  were  fit  for  service,  were  detained 
from  the  soldiers  who  were  going  home;  they  were  to  be 
paid  for ;  but  it  created  much  uneasiness.  Such  a  change, 
in  the  very  teeth  of  an  enemy,  is  a  most  delicate  manoeu 
vre  ;  but  the  British  did  not  attempt  to  take  any  advantage 
of  it. 

8th. — It  having  been  thought  expedient  to  deprive  the 
British  of  the  houses  in  Charlestown,  below  Bunker's  Hill, 
a  detachment  was  ordered  for  the  purpose.  One  hundred 
men  from  the  First  Brigade,  and  a  like  number  from 
Frye's1  Brigade,  with  Captains  Williams,  Gould  and  Wy- 
nian;  Lieutenants  Foster,  Shaw,  Patterson  and  Trafton, 
and  Ensign  Cheney ;  the  whole  under  the  command  of  Ma 
jor  Knowlton,  aided  by  Brigade-Majors  Henly  and  Carey. 
The  detachment  marched  between  8  and  9  o> clock  in  the 
evening,  and  the  object  was  effected  without  the  loss  of  a 
man.  Several  British  soldiers  were  taken  prisoners.  The 
garrison  of  Bunker  Hill  works  commenced  a  brisk  fire 
down  the  hill,  towards  the  houses ;  but  no  damage  was  sus 
tained.  There  had  been  a  number  of  deserters  from  the 
British,  since  those  heretofore  mentioned. 

17th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  on  the  31st  of 
December,  at  three  o' clock,  A.  M.  General  Montgomery 
made  an  attempt  to  carry  Quebec  by  assault.  Col.  Arnold 

1  These    officers    were:     Brig.-Gen.     Joseph     Frye      (1712-1794).     He 

resigned    in    April,    1776.     Captain    Edward    Payson    Williams    (17 

1777).  Captain  Jacob  Gould  of  Heath's  regiment.  (Probably)  Cap 
tain  William  Wyman  of  Paterson's  (Mass.)  regiment.  (Probably) 
Lieutenant  Samuel  Foster  (d.  1778),  of  Heath's.  Lieutenant  Samuel 
Shaw  (d.  1794),  also  of  Heath's.  Lieutenant  David  Patterson 
(14th  Mass.)  or  William  A.  of  the  15th  (Mass.)  Continentals.  Prob 
ably)  James  Cheeney,  lieutenant  3rd  Mass.  Joshua  Trafton  of 
Scammon's  (Mass.)  regiment.  Major  Thomas  Knowlton,  afterward 
killed  at  Harlem  Heights,  September  16,  1776.  Brigade-Major  Thomas 
Henley  was  killed  at  Randall's  Island,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  24,  1776.  (Possibly 
his  brother  David  [1794-1823]  is  meant,  as  he  was  Brigade-Major  of 
Heath's  brigade.) 


29 

had  entered  the  lower  city,  and  Gen.  Montgomery  was  as 
cending  the  barriers  at  the  other  end,  when  he  was  killed 
by  a  musket-ball,  as  was  his  Aide-de-camp.  A  number  of 
those  who  had  entered  the  lower  city,  were  killed  or  taken 
prisoners,  and  the  enterprise  defeated.  No  account  of  the 
American  loss  was  at  this  time  reported. 

Great  address  and  gallantry  were  exhibited  on  this  ex 
pedition.  The  Americans  ascending  Kennebeck  river, 
crossing  the  height  of  land,  and  descending  into  Canada, 
was  an  arduous  undertaking.  Montgomery  was  fired  with 
a  noble  ardor.  He  had  been  successful  hitherto,  and  the 
reduction  of  the  city  of  Quebec  would  have  been  the  finish 
ing  stroke.  With  this  he  hoped  to  close  the  year.  To  re 
duce  the  city  by  siege,  would  require  a  long  time,  (if  not 
relieved) nor  had  he  a  train  of  artillery  for  the  purpose. 
With  this  day  would  expire  the  time  of  service  of  many  of 
his  troops.  He  therefore  resolved  to  attempt  to  carry  the 
place  by  assault.  Two  real  attacks  were  to  be  made  on  the 
lower  city,  at  the  opposite  ends ;  one  guided  by  himself, 
the  other  by  Arnold ;  and  there  were  to  be  two  false  attacks 
made  on  the  upper  city,  to  divide  and  distract  the  enemy. 
Everything  was  well  arranged.  Arnold  forced  his  way  in, 
was  wounded,  and  carried  away — his  party  fighting  on. 
Montgomery  passed  along  a  very  narrow  defile,  next  to  the 
bank,  to  a  barrier  obstinately  defended;  and  here  he  fell- 
here  was  an  end  to  his  attack.  The  other  party  fought  on ; 
but  these  being  now  the  only  enemy  to  oppose,  the  British 
turned  their  whole  force  to  that  quarter.  They  could  not 
well  retreat:  the  whole  were  killed,  wounded,  or  taken 
prisoners.  There  was  here  barely  a  prospect  of  success, 
unless  fortune  should  prove  more  favourable  to  merit  than 
she  is  wont  to  do.  Nothing  more  could  be  done  on  the 
score  of  gallantry.  How  far  the  attempt  was  a  prudent 
one,  is  another  question.  It  is  a  military  maxim,  that 
"  fortune  may  fail  us,  but  a  prudent  conduct  never  will." 
At  the  same  time,  some  of  the  most  brilliant  victories  have 
been  obtained  by  a  daring  stroke. 


30 

18th.— Col.  Knox,  of  the  artillery,  came  to  camp.  He 
brought  from  Ticonderoga  a  fine  train  of  artillery,  which 
had  been  taken  from  the  British,  both  cannon  and  mortars, 
and  which  were  ordered  to  be  stopped  at  Franiingham. 

22d. — Several  Indians  came  to  camp  from  the  west-ward. 
Intelligence  was  received  from  Canada,  that  the  blockade 
of  Quebec  was  continued,  notwithstanding  the  rebuff  on 
the  morning  of  the  31st  of  December. 

February  1st. — A  number  of  British  soldiers  from  Bun 
ker's  Hill,  went  to  pulling  down  the  tide-mill  at  Charles- 
town.  A  cannon  was  discharged  at  them  from  Cobble  Hill, 
which  dispersed  them  for  a  short  time,  but  they  returned 
again. 

5th. — Three  cows  were  feeding  near  the  British  out 
post  at  Charlestown  Neck.  A  party  of  the  British  came 
out,  got  above  them,  drove  them  to  the  Neck,  and  killed 
them.  This  brought  on  a  brisk  firing  at  the  out-posts,  and 
some  cannon  were  discharged  from  Bunker's  Hill.  It  was 
supposed  that  the  British  had  one  man  killed,  and  one 
wounded. 

8th. — At  night,  a  party  of  Americans,  from  Winter  Hill, 
went  down  and  burnt  the  old  tide-mill  in  Charlestown. 

14th. — In  the  morning,  a  party  of  British  troops  from 
the  Castle,  and  another  from  Boston,  crossed  over  to  Dor 
chester  Neck,  with  intent  to  surprise  the  American  guard, 
which  they  came  well-nigh  effecting ;  the  guard  but  just  es 
caping  them.  There  was  but  one  musket  fired,  on  the  side 
of  the  Americans.  An  old  inhabitant  and  his  son  were 
taken  prisoners.  The  British  burnt  the  houses  on  the  point, 
and  then  returned. 

15th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  Canada,  that 
some  of  the  British  garrison  of  Quebec,  having  made  a 
sally,  in  order  to  get  fuel,  they  were  driven  back,  with  the 
loss  of  twelve  killed,  and  fifteen  wounded. 

The  heights  round  Boston,  except  those  at  Dorchester, 
havingbeen  taken  possession  of,  it  was  now  determined  that 
these  also  should  be  occupied ;  and  great  previous  prepara- 


31 

tion  was  made  for  the  purpose.  It  was  imagined  that  so 
near  an  approach  to  the  British  would  induce  them  to 
make  a  sally,  to  dislodge  the  Americans.  It  was  therefore 
deliberated  in  Council,  that,  in  case  the  British  should 
come  forth,  a  strong  detachment  of  Americans,  from  the 
Cambridge  camp,  in  boats,  should  proceed  down  the  river, 
and  land  at  the  bottom  of  the  common,  in  Boston.  To  this 
our  General  made  a  most  pointed  opposition ;  alleging, 
that  it  would  most  assuredly  produce"  only  defeat  and  dis 
grace  to  the  American  army;  that  the  British  General 
must  be  supposed  to  be  a  master  of  his  profession ;  that  as 
such,  he  would  first  provide  for  the  defence  of  the  town,  in 
every  part,  which  was  the  great  deposit  of  all  his  stores; 
that  when  this  was  done,  if  his  troops  would  afford  a  re 
dundancy,  sufficient  for  a  sally,  he  might  attempt  it;  but  it 
was  to  be  remembered  that,  at  any  rate,  the  town  would  be 
defended;  that  it  was  impossible  for  troops,  armed  and 
disciplined  as  the  Americans  then  were,  to  be  pushed  down 
in  boats,  at  least  one  mile  and  a  half,  open  to  the  fire  of  all 
the  British  batteries  on  the  west  side  of  the  town,  and  to 
their  whole  park  of  artillery,  which  might  be  drawn  to  the 
bottom  of  the  common  long  before  the  Americans  could 
reach  it,  and  be  flanked  also  by  the  works  on  the  Neck ; 
that  under  such  a  tremendous  fire,  the  troops  could  not  ef 
fect  a  landing;  and  that  he  would  never  give  his  vote  for  it. 
It  was  however  carried,  that  the  attempt  should  be  made. 

18th. — It  being  Lord's  day,  after  the  public  service,  a 
proclamation  from  the  General  Assembly  of  Massachu 
setts,  for  the  reformation  of  manners,  was  read  to  the  first 
division  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leonard1. 

21st. — A  picket  of  60  men  was  ordered  to  Lechmere's 
Point ;  and  Col.  Sargent's2  regiment  at  Inman's  farm  was 
ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  support  them,  in  case  they 

1  Rev.  Abiel    Leonard    of    Connecticut    was    chaplain    of    the    Third 
Conn,  in  1775,  and  of  Knox's  artillery,  1776. 

2  Paul  Dudley  Sargent    (17— -1828)    was  colonel  of    the    16th    Conti 
nentals,  March,  1776. 


32 

should  be  attacked  by  the  British ;  as  some  grounds  for  sus 
pecting  it  had  been  discovered. 

23d.— Ensign  Lynian1,  of  Hunting-ton's  regiment,  with  a 
small  party,  took  a  corporal  and  two  men,  who  were  cen- 
tinels  at  Brown's  chimneys,  on  Boston  Neck,  without  fir 
ing  a  gun.  These  prisoners  reported  that  the  heavy  can 
non  were  removed  from  Bunker's  Hill,  and  put  on  board 
ship. 

25th. — Some  heavy  cannon  were  mounted  on  the  works 
at  Lechmere's  Point.  The  same  day  the  British  were  bus 
ily  employed  in  erecting  a  work,  a  little  to  the  north  of  the 
powder  magazine  in  Boston. 

29th. — The  British  threw  some  shells  to  Lechmere's 
Point. 

March  1st. — Several  mortars  were  sent  over  to  Rox- 
bury,  and  great  preparations  were  made  to  annoy  the 
enemy.  Bundles  of  screwed  hay  were  brought  from  Chel 
sea,  to  be  used  in  the  works. 

2d. — At  night,  a  cannonade  and  bombardment  began  at 
the  American  works,  on  Cobble  Hill  and  Lechmere's  Point 
on  the  Cambridge  side,  and  at  Lamb's  Dam  on  the  R ox- 
bury  side,  against  the  British  works;  and  a  number  of 
shells  were  thrown  into  Boston.  The  British  returned  the 
fire,  and  threw  out  a  number  of  shells ;  one  of  which,  of  13 
inches,  reached  Prospect  Hill.  One  of  the  American  mor 
tars  of  13  inches,  and  two  of  10  inches,  were  burst.  They 
were  not  properly  bedded,  as  the  ground  was  hard  frozen. 

4th. — There  was  an  almost  incessant  roar  of  cannon  and 
mortars  during  the  night,  on  both  sides. 

The  Americans  took  possession  of  Dorchester  heights, 
and  nearly  completed  their  wrorks  on  both  the  hills  by 
morning.  Perhaps  there  never  was  so  much  work  done  in 
so  short  a  space  of  time.  The  adjoining  orchards  were  cut 
down  to  make  the  abattis;  and  a  very  curious  and  novel 
mode  of  defence  was  added  to  these  works.  The  hills  on 


1  Ensign  Lyman  was  probably  Elihu  Lyman. 


33 

which  they  were  erected  were  steep,  and  clear  of  trees  and 
bushes.  Rows  of  barrels,  filled  with  earth,  were  placed 
round  the  works.  They  presented  only  the  appearance  of 
strengthening  the  works;  but  the  real  design  was,  in  case 
the  enemy  made  an  attack,  to  have  rolled  them  down  the 
hill.  They  would  have  descended  with  such  increasing  velo 
city,  as  must  have  thrown  the  assailants  into  the  utmost 
confusion,  and  have  killed  and  wounded  great  numbers. 
This  project  was  suggested  by  Mr.  William  Davis,  mer 
chant,  of  Boston,  to  our  General,  who  immediately  com 
municated  it  to  the  Commander  in  Chief,  who  highly  ap 
proved  of  it,  as  did  all  the  other  officers :  But  the  credit  of 
it  is  justly  due  to  Mr.  Davis,  and  to  him  the  writer  gives  it. 
As  the  regiments  at  Roxbury  were  parading,  in  the  after 
noon  of  this  day,  to  march  to  Dorchester,  a  shot,  from  the 
British  lines  on  Boston  Neck,  carried  away  a  thigh  of 
Lieut.  John  Mayo,  of  Learned's  regiment:  he  soon  died. 
One  man  was  killed  by  a  shell  at  Lechmere's  Point,  in  the 
night. 

5th. — The  British,  it  was  expected,  would  attempt  to 
dislodge  the  Americans  from  Dorchester  heights.  Signals 
had  been  prepared  at  Roxbury  meeting-house  to  mark  the 
moment.  The  detachment  at  Cambridge  (designed  to  push 
into  Boston  in  the  boats)  was  paraded,  not  far  from  No.  2, 
where  it  remained  a  good  part  of  the  day.  But  kind  Hea 
ven,  which  more  than  once  saved  the  Americans  when  they 
would  have  destroyed  themselves,  did  not  allow  the  signals 
to  be  made.  About  3500  of  the  British  troops,  it  was  said, 
had  been  sent  down  to  the  Castle,  with  the  intent  to  have 
made  an  attack  on  the  Americans;  but  about  midnight  the 
wind  blew  almost  a  hurricane  from  the  south ;  many  win 
dows  were  forced  in,  sheds  and  fences  blown  down,  and 
some  vessels  drove  on  shore;  and  no  attempt  was  made  on 
the  works.  Some  were  ready  to  blame  our  General,  for  the 
sentiments  which  he  expressed  against  the  going  into  Bos 
ton,  as  was  proposed,  in  the  boats,  and  attributed  it  to  the 
want  of  firmness :  But  the  opinion  of  every  military  man, 


34 

since  that  time,  whether  American,  French,  or  British,  who 
have  taken  a  view  of  the  land  and  water  which  was  to  have 
been  the  scene  of  action,  with  the  concomitant  circumstan 
ces,  (as  far  as  we  have  heard)  hath  been  coincident;  and 
those  who  may  in  future  review  them,  will  for  themselves 
determine  whether  the  independence  of  spirit  and  senti 
ment  of  our  General,  expressed  on  the  occasion,  merited 
applause  or  censure :  For  himself,  he  has  been  frequently 
heard  to  say  that  he  gloried  in  them. 

On  the  night  of  the  7th,  Capt.  Erving  made  his  escape 
out  of  Boston.  He  reported,  that  the  British  were  prepar 
ing  to  leave  the  town ;  that  they  were  putting  their  can 
non,  mortars,  shot,  shells,  &c.  on  board  the  store  ships; 
that  some  of  the  shot  and  shells,  sent  into  the  town  by  the 
Americans,  had  been  well  directed. 

9th. — The  Americans  at  Dorchester  Neck  opened  a  bat 
tery  to  the  north-east  of  Bird's  Hill,  near  the  water,  with 
the  intent  to  annoy  the  British  shipping.  This  night  a 
strong  detachment  went  down  to  open  a  work  on  Nook  Hill 
in  Dorchester,  still  nearer  to  Boston.  Some  of  the  men 
imprudently  kindled  a  fire  behind  the  hill,  previous  to  the 
hour  for  breaking  of  ground.  The  enemy  discovered  the 
light  of  the  fire;  and  there  was,  during  the  evening  and 
night,  a  continual  roar  of  cannon  and  mortars,  from  the 
Castle  and  lines  on  Boston  Neck,  south  end  of  that  town ; 
as  well  as  from  the  Americans  at  Roxbury,  Cobble  Hill, 
and  Lechmere's  Point,  at  Cambridge.  The  second  shot 
from  the  British  at  the  old  fortification,  south  end  of  the 
town  of  Boston,  killed  4  Americans,  who  were  standing 
around  the  fire  before  mentioned,  at  Nook  Hill ;  one  of 
whom  was  Dr.  Dow1,  of  Connecticut.  Another  man  was 
killed  at  the  point  next  to  the  Castle.  This  suspended  the 
work  for  the  night,  during  which  more  than  800  shot  were 
fired. 

10th. — The  cannonade  continued.    The  British  were  put- 

1 1  am  unable  to  identify  him. 


35 

ting  their  cannon,  military  stores,  and  baggage,  on  board 
the  store-ships  and  transports.  This  evening  two  pieces 
of  cannon,  and  two  small  mortars,  were  carried  on  to  Nod 
dle's  Island,  to  disturb  the  British  shipping;  but  the 
enemy  being  quiet  at  their  different  works,  they  were  not 
molested  from  that  quarter. 

llth. — Tn  the  evening  there  was  a  brisk  cannonade 
from  the  British,  at  the  south  end  of  Boston,  and  the 
lines  on  the  Neck. 

12th. — A  Mr.  Woodward  came  out  from  Boston.  He  re 
ported  that  the  British  were  making  the  greatest  prepara 
tions  to  leave  the  town ;  that  a  number  of  gun-carriages, 
ammunition  wagons,  &c.  had  been  broken  to  pieces,  and 
thrown  off  the  wharves;  that  some  furniture  had  been  de 
stroyed,  and  that  many  dry  goods  had  been  seized,  &c. 

13th. — Six  regiments  of  the  American  army,  viz.  Grea- 
ton's,  Stark's,  Paterson's,  Bond's,  Webb's,  and  the  rifle 
regiment,  were  put  under  orders  to  march  for  New  York ; 
of  these  our  General  was  to  take  the  command.  A  detach 
ment  of  artillery  was  also  ordered  to  march  with  this  bri 
gade. 

On  the  evening  of  the  15th,  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  Pat- 
erson  barracks  at  Cambridge,  which  consumed  six  rooms, 
destroyed  some  musket-cartridges,  &c.  This  day  the  rifle 
regiment  commenced  their  march  for  New- York. 

17th. — In  the  morning  the  British  evacuated  Boston; 
their  rear  guard  with  some  marks  of  precipitation.  A  num 
ber  of  cannon  were  left  spiked,  and  two  large  marine  mor 
tars,  which  they  in  vain  attempted  to  burst.  The  garrison 
at  Bunker's  Hill  practised  some  deception  to  cover  their 
retreat.  They  fixed  some  images,  representing  men,  in 
the  places  of  their  centinels,  with  muskets  placed  on  their 
shoulders,  &c.  Their  immovable  position  led  to  the  dis 
covery  of  the  deception,  and  a  detachment  of  the  Ameri 
cans  marched  in  and  took  possession.  The  troops  on  the 
Roxbury  side,  moved  over  the  Neck  and  took  possession  of 
Boston;  as  did  others  from  Cambridge,  in  boats.  On  the 


36 

Americans  entering  the  town,  the  inhabitants  discovered 
joy  inexpressible.  The  town  had  been  much  injured  in  its 
buildings,  and  some  individuals  had  been  plundered.  Some 
British  stores  were  left.  The  British  army  went  on  board 
their  transports  below  the  Castle.  A  number  of  American 
adherents  to  them,  and  the  British  cause,  went  away  with 
the  army. 

18th. — The  brigade  destined  for  New- York,  marched 
from  the  vicinity  of  Boston. 

19th.— The  British  blew  up  Castle  William,  and  burnt 
some  of  the  barracks. 

20th. — The  British  cannonaded,  from  the  Castle,  the 
Americans  on  Dorchester  Neck.  The  same  morning  our 
General  left  Roxbury  for  New- York.  He  reached  Mention, 
from  whence,  on  the  same  evening,  he  observed  the  light  in 
the  air  of  the  finishing  stroke  of  burning  the  barracks,  &c. 
at  the  Castle.  The  British  destroyed  the  gun-carriages,  and 
knocked  the  trunnions  off  the  cannon,  and  left  them 
spiked.  The  cannon  were  afterwards  drilled  free,  and 
mounted  on  a  new  construction,  in  stocks,  placed  on  car 
riages,  and  were  thereby  rendered  serviceable. 

22d. — Our  General  reached  Norwich  in  Connecticut. 
The  troops  marched  with  great  expedition ;  but  by  the  bad 
ness  of  the  roads,  the  frost  then  coming  out  of  the  ground, 
the  baggage- wagons  moved  heavily.  The  transports,  des 
tined  for  the  troops,  were  fitting  for  sea. 

26th. — They  fell  down  to  New-London. 

27th. — The  troops  were  marched  to  that  place,  where 
they  embarked,  and  came  to  sail  about  noon. 

30th.— They  arrived  at  Turtle  Bay,  disembarked,  and 
marched  into  the  city  at  noon.  The  transports  fell  down 
to  the  city  wharves,  and  landed  the  baggage,  &c.  Gen. 
Thompson1  and  Lord  Stirling,  with  some  New- York  and 
New- Jersey  troops,  were  in  the  city;  and  works  were  con 
structing  in  and  around  the  city,  on  Long-Island,  and  at 

1  Brigadier-General     William      Thompson     of     Pennsylvania      (17 

1781)  was  colonel  1st  Continentals  in  1776. 


37 

Horn's  Hook;  the  command  of  the  whole  devolved  on  our 
General.  The  Asia,  British  man-of-war,  then  lay  off  in  the 
harbour,  with  the  Lady  Gage,  of  20  guns ;  but  on  the  ar 
rival  of  the  brigade,  the  Asia  moved  further  down,  just  out 
of  shot.  Our  General  put  a  stop  to  the  intercourse  be 
tween  the  inhabitants  and  the  ships,  which  had,  until  then, 
been  kept  up. 

April  2d. — Major  D'Hart1,  of  the  Jersey  troops,  with 
200  men,  about  midnight,  made  a  descent  on  a  small  island 
in  the  harbour,  which  the  British  hnd  begun  to  fortify; 
burnt  a  building  or  two,  took  two  muskets,  some  entrench 
ing  tools,  and  came  off.  The  Asia  fired  several  cannon, 
but  did  no  harm. 

On  the  evening  of  the  3d,  Maj.  Gen.  Putnam  arrived  at 
New- York,  to  whom  the  command  fell.  About  this  time, 
a  vessel  arrived  from  France,  with  a  large  quantity  of  gun 
powder. 

7th. — A  barge  from  one  of  the  ships  going  near  Staten 
Island,  was  fired  upon  by  the  Americans:  two  men  were 
killed,  the  barge  and  8  men  taken.  The  British  cannon 
aded  the  shore  for  some  time,  and  one  American  was 
wounded. 

9th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Commodore  Hop 
kins2  had  fallen  in  with  the  British  frigate  Glasgow,  a 
bomb  brig,  and  two  tenders,  and  after  a  smart  engagement 
took  the  brig  and  two  tenders.  The  Glasgow  made  off. 

10th. — Gen.  Sullivan's  brigade  arrived  from  the  east 
ward. 

12th. — There  were  eighteen  pieces  of  brass  cannon  in  the 
American  park,  at  New- York,  which  were  viewed  with  no 
small  degree  of  pride  and  wonder. 

13th. — In  the  forenoon,  Gen.  Washington  arrived  in  the 
city,  attended  by  Gen.  Gates  and  several  other  officers. 

14th. — The  British  men-of-war  were  all  out  of  the  bay. 

1  William  DeHart  (1746-1801)  of  the  First  New  Jersey  Battalion. 
2Esek  Hopkins  (1718-1802). 


38 

The  Asia  fell  below  the  Narrows;  the  Phenix  and   others 
went  out  to  sea. 

15th. — Four  American  regiments,  viz.  Poor's,  Pater- 
son's,  Greaton's,  and  Bond's,  were  ordered  for  Canada; 
Gen.  Thompson  was  to  command  them.  Gen.  Thomas  had 
been,  some  time  before,  sent  from  Boston  to  command  in 
Canada. 

17th. — Gen.  Greene's  brigade  arrived  at  New- York,  as 
did  a  part  of  Spencer's.  Mrs.  Washington  arrived  the  same 
day  in  the  city. 

21st. — The  regments  destined  for  Canada,  sailed  for 
Albany. 

26th. — Six  more  regiments  were  ordered  for  Can 
ada,  viz.  two  from  the  Pennsylvania  line,  two  from  the 
New- Jersey,  and  two  from  the  New-Hampshire. 

27th. — Our  General,  having  been  inoculated  with  the 
small-pox,  went  to  Montresor's  Island,  where  he  went 
through  the  operation  of  that  distemper. 

May  8th. — An  express  arrved  from  Boston,  with  an 
account,  that  a  number  of  British  transports  had  arrived 
in  Nantasket  Koad,  with  troops  on  board.  All  the  Ameri 
can  regiments  were  ordered  to  hold  themselves  in  readi 
ness,  to  march  at  a  moment's  notice.  Several  soldiers  were 
taken  down  with  the  small-pox,  and  some  of  them  died. 

28th. — Our  General  having  recovered  from  the  small 
pox,  which  had  been  pretty  severe,  returned  to  the  city, 
and  took  the  command  of  his  brigade;  and  was  the  next 
day  General  of  the  day. 

31st. — A  large  ship  and  two  tenders  arrived  at  the  Nar 
rows.  A  great  number  of  works  were  now  constructing, 
and  in  good  forwardness.  A  strong  work  was  raised  at 
Paulus  Hook,  on  the  Jersey  side  of  the  Hudson. 

June  4th. — A  French  vessel,  with  West-India  goods,  ar 
rived  in  the  harbour. 

7th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  two  Philadelphia 
privateers  had  taken  two  rich  Jamaicamen,  laden  with  su 
gars,  &c.  and  some  plate  on  board. 


39 

9th. — Unfavorable  news  was  received  from  Canada  The 
small-pox,  which  was  raging  in  the  American  army,  in 
that  quarter,  had  carried  oil'  Gen.  Thomas;  and  that  Col. 
Beadle1  and  Major  Sherburne2,  with  the  detachments  un 
der  their  command,  were  taken  prisoners,  at  or  near  a 
place  called  The  Cedars.  The  army  in  New-York  was  now 
growing  sickly;  and  there  was  not  a  sufficiency  of  hos 
pital  room,  or  of  medicines. 

14th. — Congress  gave  intimations,  that  General  Howe, 
with  the  British  army  under  his  command,  might  soon  be 
expected  at  New-York.  Some  persons,  suspected  of  treach 
erous  designs,  were  seized  and  confined. 

15th. — Some  intelligence,  more  favourable  than  the 
former,  was  received  from  Canada.  The  Canadians  were 
friendly.  Gen.  Sullivan,  who  was  now  in  that  quarter, 
having  gone  from  New- York,  with  the  reinforcement  here 
tofore  mentioned,  was  fortifying;  the  enemy  were  advanc 
ing;  but  Gen.  Thompson  was  sent  out  to  oppose  them. 
This,  however,  proved  ineffectual ;  Thompson  was  defeated 
and  taken  prisoner.  A  number  of  Scotch  troops3,  with 
Col.  Campbell,  had  been  made  prisoners,  near  Boston  har 
bour. 

18th. — The  Pennsylvania  regiments,  commanded  by 
Colonels  Shee  and  Magaw,  were  arriving  in  the  city ;  they 
had  the  appearance  of  fine  troops.  The  day  before,  Gen. 
Wooster  arrived  from  Canada. 

20th. — Gen.  Gates,  who  was  made  a  Major-General,  was 
to  proceed  immediately  to  Canada,  where  he  was  to  take 
command. 

22d. — A  plot  was  discovered  in  the  city;  it  was  to  have 
burst  on-  the  Commander  in  Chief,  and  others.  The  Mayor 


1  Col.  Timothy  Bedel  of  New  Hampshire. 

2  Henry  Sherburne  of  Rhode  Island,  15th  Continentals. 

3  Captain     Seth     Harding,     commanding     the    Massachusetts    State 
cruiser  Defence,  captured  the  armed  transports  Annabclla  and  Howe, 
on  board  of  which  were  200  of  the  71st  Highlanders  and  Lieutenant 
Campbell"  (afterward  Lieut.-Col.  and  distinguished  in  the  Southern  cam 
paign  against  Greene). 


40 

of  the  city  was  taken  into  custody  as  was  a  gun-srnith, 
and  some  of  the  General's  own  guard,  who  were  foreign 
ers,  were  said  to  be  in  the  plot.  The  same  day,  more  par 
ticulars  were  received  from  Boston;  that  the  troops  at 
Boston  had  driven  the  King's  ships  from  the  Lower  Har 
bour,  and  taken  several  transports,  with  Scotch  soldiers 
on  board. 

25th. — Two  deserters  came  in,  from  the  Liverpool  man- 
of  war.  They  reported,  that  the  fleet  from  Halifax,  with 
Gen.  Howe's  army,  were  hourly  expected  to  arrive  in 
New- York.  Every  exertion  was  now  in  exercise,  to  com 
plete  the  works,  and  to  obstruct  the  river.  The  latter  was 
near  Port  Washington,  and  prosecuted  by  sinking  a  num 
ber  of  large  hulks,  and  frames  called  chevaux-de-frise, 
composed  of  large  and  long  timbers  framed  together,  with 
points  elevated,  to  pierce  and  stop  the  way  of  vessels 
meeting  of  them.  These  were  boxed  at  the  bottom,  to  con 
tain  a  vast  weight  of  stones,  which  were  put  into  them, 
and  with  which  they  sunk.  A  line  of  these,  and  hulks,  was 
formed  across  the  river;  some  of  them  sunk  very  well; 
others,  rather  irregular;  and  some  of  the  hulks,  which 
were  strapped  together  with  large  timbers,  separated  in 
going  down.  A  passage  was  left  open  for  vessels  to  pass 
through;  and  the  British,  as  it  was  proved  afterwards, 
found  the  means  of  knowing  where  it  was,  and  of  passing 
through  it. 

27th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  Gen.  Burgoyne 
had  arrived  in  Canada,  with  a  strong  reinforcement.  The 
militia  were  called  in,  to  reinforce  the  army  at  New- York. 

28th. — One  Thomas  Hickey,  a  private  soldier  in  the 
General's  guard,  was  executed.  He  was  found  guilty  of 
mutiny,  sedition,  and  the  worst  of  practices,  as  it  was  ex 
pressed.  The  same  day,  the  British  fleet  arrived  at  Sandy 
Hook. 

29th. — The  transports  were  coming  in,  during  the  whole 
day.  At  evening,  nearly  100  sail  had  arrived.  Col.  Dur- 


41 

kee's1  regiment  was  ordered  over  to  Paulus  Hook.  The 
General  Officers  were  in  council. 

30th. — Mrs.  Washington  left  the  city. 

July  2d. — Between  10  and  11  o'clock  A.  M.  four  British 
men-of-war,  and  several  tenders,  came  through  the  Nar 
rows,  and  anchored  near  the  watering-place  on  Staten- 
Island.  In  the  afternoon,  they  cannonaded  towards  the 
island.  A  little  before  sun-setting,  about  40  sail  of  trans 
ports  came  up  to  the  ships  of  war.  The  Americans  lay  on 
their  arms  during  the  night. 

3d. — The  British  troops  landed  on  Staten-Island.  A 
part  of  the  stock  had  been  taken  off.  The  inhabitants, 
who  were  about  350  men,  were  supposed  to  be  generally 
opposed  to  the  revolution. 

9th. — At  evening  roll-call,  the  declaration  of  the  Con 
gress,  declaring  the  United  Colonies  FREE,  SOVEREIGN,  AND 
INDEPENDENT  STATES,  was  published  at  the  head  of  the 
respective  brigades,  in  camp,  and  received  with  loud  huz 
zas. 

12th. — Two  British  ships  of  war,  the  Phenix  and  Rose, 
and  three  tenders,  at  about  4  o'clock,  P.  M.  taking  advan 
tage  of  the  tide  and  a  fresh  breeze,  came  up  from  the  fleet, 
and  passed  the  city  up  the  Hudson.  A  brisk  cannonade 
took  place  from  Red  Hook,  Governor's  Island,  Paulus 
Hook,  and  all  the  batteries  on  the  North  River  side.  The 
ships  were  several  times  struck  by  the  shot,  but  received 
no  material  damage.  The  ships  returned  the  fire,  as  they 
passed  the  batteries ;  and  the  encampment  of  our  General's 
brigade,  (the  right  flank  of  which  being  Col.  Shepard's2 
regiment)  was  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  tents  were 
struck,  and  dropped  on  the  ground,  before  the  ships  came 
a-breast  of  them.  Several  shots  fell  on  the  encampment, 
and  one  entered  the  embrasure  of  a  small  redoubt,  on  the 
flank  of  the  encampment,  and  struck  in  the  banquette  on 


1  Col.  John  Durkee  of  Conn.  (1728-1782),  the  "  Bold  Bean  Killer." 

2  William  Shepard   (of  Westfield,  Mass.),  one    of    the    most    efficient 
American  officers,  commanded  the  Third  Continentals. 


the  opposite  side  of  the  redoubt,  between  the  legs  of  two 
soldiers,  but  did  no  damage.  Several  American  artillerists 
were  killed  and  wounded,  by  the  bursting  of  some  of  our 
own  cannon.  The  ships  ran  nearly  up  to  Tappan  Bay,  and 
came  to  anchor. 

14th. — A  British  officer  came  up  with  a  flag,  with  a  let 
ter  to  Gen.  Washington ;  but  the  letter  not  being  properly 
addressed,  it  was  not  received.  The  same  day  a  flag  was 
sent  by  Lord  Howe  to  Amboy,  with  sundry  letters,  di 
rected  to  the  chief  magistrates  of  several  of  the  Colonies, 
and  a  declaration,  offering  the  King's  pardon  to  such  Col 
onies,  towns,  or  boroughs,  as  should  submit  to  his  Ma 
jesty's  laws,  &c.  Lord  and  Gen.  Howe  were  Commis 
sioners  appointed  to  receive  submissions. 

16th. — Another  flag  came  up  from  Lord  Howe,  with  a 
letter  directed  to  George  Washington,  Esq.  &c.  &c.  &c. 
which  was  likewise  rejected,  for  the  want  of  proper  direc 
tion. 

17th. — In  the  morning,  one  or  two  of  the  British  ships 
sailed  out  through  the  Narrows;  and  it  was  conjectured 
that  a  number  sailed  out  during  the  night.  The  British 
ships  which  had  sailed  up  the  Hudson,  had  moved  higher 
up.  The  Connecticut  light-horse,  which  had  come  out  to 
reinforce  the  army,  were  returning  home. 

20th. — A  flag  from  Gen.  Howe,  with  Adj.  Gen.  Patter 
son,  came  up  with  a  message  to  Gen.  Washington,  respect 
ing  the  recent  capitulation  in  Canada,  and  insinuating 
that  Gen.  Howe  was  desirous,  if  possible,  to  bring  about 
an  accommodation.  The  same  day,  news  was  received 
from  South  Carolina,  that  the  British,  in  attempting  Sul 
livan's  Island,  with  their  ships  and  a  large  body  of  troops, 
said  to  be  from  1300  to  2000,  were  defeated  by  the  Ameri 
cans  ;  one  frigate  burnt  and  blown  up,  several  others  dam 
aged,  and  172  men  killed  and  wounded.  On  the  side  of 
the  Americans,  10  were  said  to  be  killed,  and  22  wounded. 

21st. — A  man  dressed  in  woman's  clothes,  was  taken  up, 
in  attempting  to  get  to  the  British  fleet :  he  was  committed 


43 

to  prison.  The  same  day,  Gen.  Sullivan  arrived  from  Can 
ada.  About  noon,  a  number  of  cannon  and  small-arms 
were  heard  towards  Elizabeth-Town. 

25th. — A  row-galley  or  two  arrived  from  Connecticut; 
and  fire-ships,  rafts,  &c.  were  preparing  with  great  expedi 
tion. 

26th. — The  British  ships  up  the  river  fell  some  distance 
lower  down. 

27th. — A  regiment  of  militia,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  Holman1,  arrived  from  Massachusetts. 

28th. — Two  row-galleys  moved  up  the  Hudson. 

2yth. — Col.  Sargent's  regiment  of  Continental  troops  ar 
rived  at  Horn's  Hook2,  from  Boston,  and  Col.  Hutchin- 
son's  from  the  same  place.  Several  British  ships  arrived 
and  joined  the  fleet. 

31st. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  Dunmore,  with 
his  fleet,  had  got  nearly  200  miles  up  Potowrnack  River  in 
Virginia;  that  he  had  burnt  one  house,  and  was  within 
about  30  miles  of  Gen.  Washington's  seat. 

August  1st. — About  30  sail  of  British  ships  arrived  at 
the  Hook.  Three  or  four  more  row-gallies  went  up  the 
Hudson.  In  bringing  the  hulks,  chevaux-de-frise,  &c. 
round  from  the  East  River,  to  the  Hudson,  a  sloop  sunk, 
not  far  from  the  Grand  Battery. 

2d. — Glover's  regiment  arrived  from  the  eastward. 

3d. — About  noon  there  was  a  brisk  cannonade  up  the 
Hudson,  between  the  American  row-gallies  and  the  British 
ships:  the  former  had  two  men  killed;  two  mortally,  and 
12  slightly  wounded.  The  British  loss  was  not  known. 

7th. — There  were  some  movements  among  the  British 
fleet:  the  men-of-war  appeared  to  be  formed  in  line.  Two 
deserters  came  in ,  who  reported  that  an  attack  on  the 
Americans  was  intended  soon. 


1  Jonathan  Holman  was  major  of  Learned's    regiment,  the    3rd    Con 
tinentals. 

2  Horn's  or  Hoorn's  Hook  (in  British  records  mis-spelled  Koran's)  was 
the  point  of  and  where  is  now  88th  Street,  East  River,  N.  Y. 


44 

8th. — A  row -galley  and  two  fire-sloops  went  up  the  river. 
It  was  intended  to  attempt  burning  the  British  ships  in 
Tappan  Bay.  The  American  army  was  now  very  sickly; 
four  soldiers  were  buried  on  this  day,  from  our  General's 
brigade  only.  About,  and  a  little  after  this  time,  the  army 
was  more  sickly  than  at  any  other  period.  The  news 
papers  at  Philadelphia  and  Boston  rated  the  army  at  70,- 
000  strong,  and  in  high  spirits,  and  that  they  would  soon 
clear  the  enemy  from  America.  This  was  not  a  little  mor 
tifying  to  Gen.  Washington,  who  had  the  evidence  that 
the  army  did  not  exceed  40,000,  officers  included;  and  a 
large  portion  of  these  were  levies  and  militia,  called  out  for 
short  periods,  and  unacquainted  with  a  camp  life.  Hence 
the  number  of  sick  amounted  to  near  10,000;  nor  was  it 
possible  to  find  proper  hospitals  or  proper  necessaries  for 
them.  In  almost  every  barn,  stable,  shed,  and  even  under 
the  fences  and  bushes,  were  the  sick  to  be  seen,  whose 
countenances  were  but  an  index  of  the  dejection  of  spirit, 
and  the  distress  they  endured. 

9th. — It  was  learnt  that  the  British  were  preparing  for 
an  attack,  and  were  putting  their  heavy  artillery,  &c.  on 
board  ship. 

In  reconnoitring  the  position  of  New- York,  long  before 
this  time,  all  were  agreed,  that  the  upper  end  of  the  island, 
and  above  Kingsbridge,  must  be  secured,  or  there  could  be 
no  security  to  an  army  on  the  island ;  but  there  was  borne 
difference  in  opinion  as  to  the  place.  A  commanding 
height,  near  Morris's  house,  some  distance  below  the 
bridge,  within  the  island,  was  thought  by  some,  among 
whom  was  Gen.  Putnam,  a  position  which,  if  properly  for 
tified,  would  be  almost  impregnable.  While  others,  among 
whom  was  our  General,  and  his  brother  Gen.  Greene,  who 
were  generally  in  sentiment,  insisted  that  there  could  be 
no  security  on  the  island,  although  the  post  before  men 
tioned  was  made  as  strong  as  Gibraltar,  if  the  heights 
above  the  bridge  were  left  unfortified,  as  the  enemy  might 
at  any  time,  in  an  hour  or  two,  possess  themselves  of  Chose 


45 

heights  above  the  bridge,  and  completely  entrap  the  army ; 
and  each  declared  positively,  that  he  would  not  rest  easy 
or  satisfied,  until  those  grounds  were  taken  possession  of. 
Fort  Washington  was  begun  on  the  hill  first  mentioned, 
and  the  works  were  pushed  as  fast  as  possible;  and  it  was 
determined  to  erect  another  fort  above  the  bridge,  which 
was  also  begun,  and  called  Independence.  Every  exertion 
was  now  in  exercise  to  complete  the  works  in  and  about  the 
city,  some  of  which  were  strong.  Indeed,  immense  labour 
had  been  bestowed  on  the  works  at  the  city,  on  Long-Is 
land,  at  Horn's  Hook,  near  Hell  Gate,  and  at  Paulus  Hook 
on  the  Jersey  side,  opposite  the  city,  on  Governor's  Island, 
&c. 

llth. — Our  General  received  a  communication  from 
Congress,  dated  the  9th,  appointing  him  a  Major-General 
in  the  army  of  the  United  States  of  America.  Generals 
Spencer,  Sullivan,  and  Greene  received,  at  the  same  time, 
commissions  of  the  same  tenor. 

12th. — In  the  afternoon,  30  or  40  British  vessels  came 
through  the  Narrows,  and  joined  the  fleet. 

13th. — A  number  more  of  ships,  some  of  them  very  large, 
came  in  and  joined  the  fleet:  the  ships  up  the  river  fell  a 
little  lower  down. 

14th. — Our  General  rode  to  Horn's  Hook  and  Kings- 
bridge.  The  person  who  had  the  direction  of  the  fire-ves 
sels  requested  him  to  be  a  spectator  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  of  an  attempt,  intended  to  be  made  on  that  night,  to 
burn  the  ships.  Attended  by  Gen.  Clinton,  and  several 
other  officers,  they  waited  on  the  bank  until  about  mid 
night  ;  but  no  attempt  on  the  ships  was  made,  and  they  re 
turned  disappointed. 

16th. — Our  General  was  again  requested  to  be  a  specta 
tor  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  the  approaching  night,  with 
the  most  positive  assurances  that  he  should  not  be  again 
disappointed :  he  accordingly  went,  attended  as  on  the  pre 
ceding  time,  and  took  a  proper  position  on  the  bank.  The 
night  was  pretty  dark;  they  soon  found  that  the  gal  lies 


46 

and  fire- vessels  were  silently  moving  up  with  the  tide. 
After  some  time,  and  almost  immediately  after  the  centi- 
nels  on  board  the  British  ships  had  passed  the  word,  "all 
is  well"  two  of  the  tire-vessels  flashed  into  a  blaze ;  the  one, 
close  on  the  side  of  the  Pheuix,  the  other  grappling  one  of 
the  tenders.  To  appearance,  the  flames  were  against  the 
side  of  the  Plienix;  and  there  was  much  confusion  on 
board.  A  number  of  cannon  were  discharged  into  the  lire- 
vessel,  in  order  to  sink  her.  A  number  of  seamen  ascended, 
and  got  out  on  the  yard-arm,  supposed  to  clear  away  some 
grapplings.  The  fire-vessel  was  alongside,  as  was  judged, 
near  ten  minutes,  when  the  1'hwt'u  either  cut,  or  slipt  her 
cable,  let  fall  her  fore-topsail,  wore  round,  and  stood  up 
the  river,  being  immediately  veiled  from  the  spectators  by 
the  darkness  of  the  night.  The  tender  burnt  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  was  towed  to  the  shore  by  the  Ameri 
cans;  out  of  which  was  taken,  one  iron  six-pounder,  two 
three-pounders,  one  two-pounder,  ten  swivels,  a  caboose, 
some  gun-barrels,  cutlasses,  grapplings,  chains,  &c.  The 
Rose,  and  the  two  other  tenders,  remained  at  their  moor 
ings;  but  it  was  said  that  one  of  the  tenders  was  deserted 
by  her  crew,  for  a  time.  Several  of  our  gallies  were 
said  to  have  been  inactive;  otherwise,  a  very  considerable 
advantage  would  have  been  reaped.  The  Americans  sus 
tained  no  loss  or  injury,  save  one  man,  who,  in  communi 
cating  fire  to  one  of  the  vessels,  got  considerably  burnt  in 
the  face,  hands,  &c. 

17th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  having  ordered  our 
General  to  take  the  command  of  the  troops  and  posts,  at 
the  north  end  of  the  island,  and  above  Kingsbridge,  within 
which  command  fell  the  Forts  Washington  and  Independ 
ence,  and  a  number  of  other  works,  he  took  the  command 
accordingly. 

18th. — Very  early  in  the  morning,  the  wind  being  pretty 
fresh,  and  it  being  very  rainy,  the  ships  and  tenders  which 
were  up  the  river  got  under  sail  and  ran  down,  keeping 
as  close  under  the  east  bank  as  they  could,  in  passing  our 


47 

works.  They  were,  however,  briskly  cannonaded  at  Fort 
Washington  and  the  works  below:  were  several  times 
struck,  but  received  no  material  damage.  They  joined 
their  fleet  near  Staten-Island. 

19th. — It  was  made  pretty  certain,  that  the  British  were 
upon  the  point  of  making  an  attack  somewhere.  By  an 
express,  which  our  General  received  from  Gen.  Washing 
ton,  at  half  past  2  o'clock,  A.  M.  of  the  22d,  he  was  pleased 
to  communicate,  that,  by  intelligence  which  he  had  re 
ceived,  the  enemy  had  intentions  of  making  attacks  on 
Long-Island,  up  the  North  River,  upon  Bergen  Point, 
Elizabeth-Town  Point,  Amboy,  &c.  Perhaps  so  many 
places  were  mentioned,  in  order  to  divide  the  force  of,  and 
distract  the  Americans.  On  this  morning,  however,  they 
landed,  near  Gravesend  Bay,  on  Long-Island,  about  8000 
men ;  Col.  Hand,  with  his  rifle  corps,  retreating  moder 
ately  before  them,  and  destroying  some  wheat  which  would1 
fall  into  their  hands.  The  British  advanced  as  far  as 
Flat-bush,  where  they  halted.  Six  Amercan  regi 
ments  were  sent  over,  as  a  reinforcement.  Gen.  Sullivan 
had  the  command  on  the  island. 

24th. — There  were  some  skirmishes  on  Long-Island; 
but  nothing  very  material. 

25th.* — A  number  of  the  enemy's  ships  fell  down  to 
wards  the  Narrows;  it  was  supposed,  with  intent  to  hmd 
more  troops  on  Long-Island. 

26th. — In  the  morning,  a  brisk  cannonade  on  Long-Is 
land,  for  some  time.  The  British  had  thrown  up  some 
works,  at  Flatbush,  from  which  they  fired  at  the  Ameri 
cans. 

27th. — Early  in  the  morning,  two  ships  and  a  brig  came 
to  anchor  a  little  above  Frog  Point1.  Our  General  im 
mediately  detached  Col.  Graham2  with  his  regiment,  to 
prevent  their  landing  to  plunder  or  burn.  Before  he  ar- 


1  Throgmorton's   Neck,   commonly   called    Throg's    Neck,    the    West- 
chester  County  point  of  land,  opposite  Willett's  Pont,  L.  I. 

2  Morris  Graham,  1st  Dutchess  Co.  militia. 


48 

rived,  several  barges  full  of  men  landed  on  New  Cit\  Is 
land1,  and  killed  a  number  of  cattle.  Two  companies  of 
the  regiment,  immediately  on  their  arrival,  ferried  over  to 
the  island.  The  enemy  carried  off  one  man  and  14  cattle 
—the  remainder  of  the  cattle  were  secured. 

On  the  same  day  there  was  a  most  bloody  battle  on  Long- 
Island,  between  the  Americans  and  the  British.  The  Brit 
ish,  by  a  long  circuitous  march  in  the  night  of  the  2r.th, 
with  a  part  of  their  army,  found  the  left  of  the  Americans 
not  so  well  secured  as  it  ought  to  have  been ;  and  they  had 
an  opportunity  to  reach  ground  which  gave  them  great 
advantage,  while  it  equally  exposed  the  Americans  in  the 
strong  grounds  towards  Flatbush.  There  was  here  also 
another  circumstance  of  ground,  which  now  proved  very 
disadvantageous  to  the  Americans.  There  was  a  consider 
able  marsh,  into  which  a  creek  ran,  and  on  which  there  was 
a  mill,  known  by  the  name  of  M'Gowan's.  At  the  mill 
there  was  a  passway  over;  but  unluckily,  when  some  of 
the  Americans  had  retreated  by  this  mill,  (for  they  were 
soon  routed  by  the  British,  who  formed  an  attack  almost 
in  a  semi-circle)  it  was  set  on  fire.  This  would  have  been 
a  politic  step,  had  all  the  Americans  on  the  other  side,  in 
that  quarter,  previously  passed;  but  those  still  beyond  the 
creek  were  now  driven  to  almost  desperate  circumstances: 
they  could  not  pass  at  the  head  of  the  creek ,  for  the  British 
column,  which  made  the  circuitous  movement,  were  in 
possession  of  the  ground  on  the  left;  consequently  many 
were  here  killed  or  taken  prisoners,  and  numbers  perish 
ing  in  attempting  to  get  over  the  creek,  some  of  them  stick 
ing  in  the  mud.  Those  who  escaped  retreated  to  the 
American  works.  The  British  sustained  a  considerable 
loss  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  a  subaltern  and  23  men 
were  taken  prisoners ;  but  the  American  loss  was  far 
greater  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  Among  the 
latter  were  Gen.  Sullivan  and  Lord  Stirling.  Several 

1  The  present  City  Island,  in  Long  Island  Sound. 


49 

field-pieces  were  also  lost.  At  evening,  the  British  army 
encamped  in  front  of  the  Americans. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th,  there  was  a  skirmish  be 
tween  the  Americans  and  die  British  which  terminated 
rather  in  favor  of  the  former.  The  same  night,  the  British 
began  to  open  works,  at  the  distance  of  about  600  yards 
from  the  American  works  on  the  left.  Gen.  Washington 
wrote  to  our  General,  to  send  down  to  the  city  all  the 
boats  that  could  be  spared,  from  Kingsbridge  and  Fort 
Washington;  intimating,  that  he  might  possibly  find  it 
necessary,  at  night,  to  throw  over  more  troops  to  Long- 
Island.  This  order  was  immediately  complied  with,  and 
the  boats  sent  down;  while  the  real  intention  of  their  use 
was  fully  understood. 

29th. — The  ships  on  the  East  River  fell  down  to  Hunt's 
Point.  On  the  same  night,  the  Americans  evacuated  Long- 
Island,  bringing  off  their  military  stores,  provisions,  &c. 
Some  heavy  cannon  were  left.  In  this  retreat  from  the  is 
land,  and  which  was  well  conducted,  an  instance  of  disci 
pline  and  of  true  fortitude  was  exhibited  by  the  American 
guards  and  pickets.  In  order  that  the  British  should  not 
get  knowledge  of  the  withdraw  of  the  Americans,  until 
their  main  body  had  embarked  in  the  boats  and  pushed  off 
from  the  shore,  (which  was  a  matter  of  the  highest  import 
ance  to  their  safety)  the  guards  were  ordered  to  continue  at 
their  respective  posts,  with  centinels  alert,  as  if  nothing  ex 
traordinary  was  taking  place,  until  the  troops  had  em 
barked:  they  were  then  to  come  off,  march  briskly  to  the 
ferry,  and  embark  themselves.  But  somehow  or  other,  the 
guards  came  off,  and  had  got  well  toward  the  landing- 
place,  when  they  were  ordered  to  face  about,  march  back, 
and  re-occupy  their  former  posts;  which  they  instantly 
obeyed,  and  continued  at  them,  until  called  off  to  cross  the 
ferry.  Whoever  has  seen  troops  in  a  similar  situation,  or 
duly  contemplates  the  human  heart  in  such  trials,  will 
know  how  to  appreciate  the  conduct  of  these  brave  men, 
on  this  occasion. 


50 

31st. — In  the  forenoon,  the  British  appeared  at  New- 
town,  where  they  pitched  a  number  of  tents.  Governor's 
Island  was  evacuated  the  preceding  night  by  the  Ameri 
cans.  It  was  now  evident  that  the  next  object  of  the 
enemy  would  be  to  get  the  city ;  and  it  was  equally  so,  that 
they  would  land  somewhere  on  the  island  without  it.  This 
night,  several  of  the  regiments  of  Gen.  Minim's  brigade, 
of  our  General's  division,  lay  on  the  hills  towards  New- 
York;  and  Gen.  Clinton's  brigade  on  their  arms.  The 
same  evening,  Hand's1,  Shee's,  Magaw's,  Broadhead's,  and 
Miles'  battalions,  joined  our  General's  division.  Some  of 
these  corps  had  suffered  greatly,  in  the  action  on  Long- 
Island. 

September  1st. — The  British  appeared  to  be  encamped 
in  several  places  on  Long-Island.  They  had  run  in  a  ship 
between  Nut  ten  Island2  and  Red  Hook. 

2d. — They  ran  a  ship  past  the  city  up  the  East  River: 
she  was  several  times  struck  by  the  shot  of  a  12  pounder, 
which  was  drawn  to  the  river's  bank.  Major  Crane  of  the 
artillery  was  wounded  in  the  foot,  by  a  cannon  shot  from 
this  ship.  It  was  now  a  question,  whether  to  defend  the 
city,  or  evacuate  it,  and  occupy  the  strong  grounds  above. 
Every  exertion  had  been  made  to  render  the  works  both 
numerous  and  strong;  and  immense  labor  and  expense  had 
been  bestowed  on  them;  and  it  was  now  determined  that 
the  city  should  be  obstinately  defended. 

4th. — Gen.  Washington  came  up,  and  dined  at  our  Gen 
eral's  quarters.  The  same  day,  a  detachment  of  the  artil 
lery,  with  one  24  pounder,  three  12  pounders,  three  3 
pounders,  and  a  howitzer,  joined  the  division.  The  enemy 
were  plundering  cattle  on  Long-Island,  now  fully  in  their 
possession. 

IBrigPdier    Edward     Hand       (1744-1802).       Major      Robert      Magaw 

(17 1790)   was  colonel  of  the  Fifth  Pennsylvania  battalion  in  1776, 

and  commanded  at  Fort  Washington  when  it  was  captured  in  Novem 
ber.     Daniel  Broadhead    (1736-1809)   wns  colonel  of  the  Eighth  Penn 
sylvania.      Samuel    Miles    (1740-1805)    commanded    the    Pennsylvania 
Rifles. 
2  Nutten  Island  is  the  Governor's  Island  of  the  present  day. 


51 

5th. — Our  General  ordered  a  chain  of  videttes  and  centi- 
nels  to  be  formed  at  Morrisania,  Hunt's  and  Prog's  Point, 
&c.  The  British  were  pressing  a  great  number  of  teams 
on  Long-Island — their  Head-Quarters  were  at  Bedford. 

7th. — The  militia  on  Long-Island  were  ordered  to  mus 
ter,  to  raise  recruits  for  the  King.  The  General  Officers 
of  the  American  army  were  in  council,  at  Head-Quarters 
in  New- York.  The  British  were  now  erecting  a  work, 
nearly  opposite  to  ours  at  Horn's  Hook,  and  the  distance 
not  great. 

8th. — The  British  opened  their  battery  against  Horn's 
Hook  Fort.  The  fire  was  briskly  returned.  The  Ameri 
cans  had  one  man  killed,  and  two  wounded. 

9th. — In  the  morning  there  was  a  brisk  cannonade  on 
both  sides.  At  Horn's  Hook,  the  American  artillery  was  so 
well  plied  that  the  British  ceased  firing.  The  British 
were  said  to  be  encamped  in  three  divisions;  one  at  New- 
town,  which  was  Head-Quarters,  one  at  Flushing,  and  one 
at  Jamaica. 

10th. — The  British  landed  a  number  of  troops  on  Mon- 
tresor's  Island. 

llth. — The  British  continued  to  cannonade  and  bom 
bard  our  fort  at  Horn's  Hook,  and  to  land  more  troops  on 
Montresor's  Island. 

12th. — The  cannonade  continued  against  our  fort  at 
Horn's  Hook,  and  the  British  were  moving  their  troops  to 
wards  the  East  River.  This  day,  Col.  Ward's  regiment  of 
Connecticut  troops  removed  from  Burditt's  Ferry,  and 
joined  our  General's  division.  The  General  Officers  \vere 
in  council.  A  former  resolution  to  defend  the  city  was 
rescinded,  with  three  dissentients. 

13th. — Four  British  ships,  one  of  which  was  a  two- 
decker,  ran  by  the  city  up  the  East  River.  The  cannonade 
and  bombardment  at  Horn's  Hook  continued.  This  even- 


52 

ing,  Col.  Chester1,  with  five  regiments,  joined    our    Gen 
eral's  division. 

14th. — The  British  sent  three  or  four  ships  up  the  North 
River,  as  far  as  Greenwich.  The  cannon  and  stores  were 
removing  from  New- York,  during  the  night. 

15th. — About  noon,  the  British  landed  at  Kepp's2  Bay. 
They  met  with  but  small  resistance,  and  pushed  towards 
the  city,  of  which  they  took  possession  in  the  afternoon. 
They  availed  themselves  of  some  cannon  and  stores;  but 
their  booty  was  not  very  great.  Here  the  Americans,  we  are 
sorry  to  say,  did  not  behave  well ;  and  here  it  was,  as  fame 
hath  said,  that  Gen.  Washington  threw  his  hat  on  the 
ground,  and  exclaimed,  "Are  these  the  men  with  which  I 
am  to  defend  America?"  But  several  things  may  have 
weight  here; — the  wounds  received  on  Long-Island  were 
yet  bleeding ;  and  the  officers,  if  not  the  men,  knew  that  the 
city  was  not  to  be  defended.  Maj.  Chapman3  was  killed, 
and  Brig.  Maj.  Wyllys4  was  taken  prisoner.  A  few  others 
were  killed,  wounded,  and  taken  prisoners.  The  Ameri 
cans  retreated  up  the  island ;  and  some  few,  who  could  not 
get  out  of  the  city  that  way,  escaped  in  boats  over  to 
Paulus  Hook,  across  the  river.  The  house  in  the  fort  at 
Horn's  Hook,  was  set  on  fire  by  a  shell,  and  burnt  down. 
The  fort  was  afterwards  abandoned. 

16th. — A  little  before  noon,  a  smart  skirmish  happened 
on  the  heights  west  of  Haarlem  Plain,  and  south  of  Mor 
ris's  house,  between  a  party  of  Hessian  Yagers5,  British 
Light-Infantry  and  Highlanders,  and  the  American  rifle 
men  and  some  other  troops,  which  ended  in  favor  of  the 

1  Col.  John  Chester  of  Connecticut  (1749-1809).     He    was  at    Bunker 
Hill. 

2  Kepp's     Bay— the     present  Kip's  Bay,  34th    to  37th    Streets,    East 
River,  N.  Y. 

3  Major  James  Chapman,  First  Continentals. 

4  Brigadier-Major  John  P.  Wyllys  of  Wadsworth's  brigade.     He  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Miami,  1790. 

5  Jagers. 


53 

latter.  The  troops  fought  well  on  both  sides,  and  gave 
great  proof  of  their  marksmanship.  The  Americans  had 
several  officers  killed  and  wounded;  among  the  former, 
Lieut.  Col.  Knowlton,  of  the  Connecticut  line,  and  Capt. 
Gleason1,  of  Nixon's  Massachusetts  regiment,  two  excel 
lent  officers;  and  Maj.  Beech2,  of  one  of  the  southern  regi 
ments,  a  brave  officer,  was  among  the  latter.  This  skirmish 
might  have  brought  on  a  general  action;  for  both  armies 
were  then  within  supporting  distance  of  the  troops  which 
were  engaged. 

It  now  became  an  object  of  high  importance  to  calcu 
late,  if  possible,  where  the  British  would  make  their  next 
attempt;  and  here  the  General  Officers  were  divided  in 
opinion.  A  part  of  them  imagined  that  the  British  would) 
first  endeavour  to  make  themselves  masters  of  the  whole  of 
New- York  Island,  and  that,  therefore,  the  reduction  of 
Fort  Washington  and  its  dependencies  would  be  their  ob 
ject.  Others  supposed,  that  they  would  make  a  landing 
either  at  Morrisauia,  Hunt's  or  Frog's  Point,  which 
eventually  would  produce  as  certain  a  reduction  of  the 
works  on  the  island,  with  very  little  loss  to  the  British.  It 
was  therefore  determined  in  council,  to  guard  against 
both ;  and  for  this  purpose,  10,000  men  were  to  be  retained 
on  the  island,  at  and  near  Fort  Washington.  Our  Gen 
eral's  division  was  to  be  augmented  to  10,000  men,  and  a 
floating  bridge  was  to  be  thrown  across  Haarlem  Creek, 
that  these  two  bodies  might  communicate  with  and  sup 
port  each  other,  as  circumstances  might  require;  and  Maj.- 
Gen.  Greene  was  to  command  the  flying  camp  on  the  Jer 
sey  side  of  the  Hudson,  which  was  to  consist  of  5000.  The 
different  arrangements  took  place  accordingly. 

17th. — The  remains  of  Lieut.  Col.  Knowlton  were  in 
terred  with  military  honours.  The  same  day,  a  troop  of 


1  Micajah  Gleason  of  Nixon's  regiment. 

2 "  Beech "    is    obviously    Major    Andrew    Leitch    of    the    First    Vir 
ginia. 


54 

militia  light-horse  arrived  from  Connecticut;  others,  and 
many  of  the  militia  were  on  their  way  to  join  the  army. 

18th. — Gen.  Parsons'  and  Scott's  brigades,  and  the  bri 
gade  commanded  by  Col.  Dudley  Sargent,  joined  our  Gen 
eral's  division;  and  Shee's,  Magaw's,  Haslett's1,  Atlee's2, 
and  Broadhead's  battalions  were  ordered  away.  The  Brit 
ish  army  encamped  between  the  American  army  and  the 
city. 

A  picket  from  our  General's  division,  of  450  men,  con 
stantly  mounted,  by  relief,  at  Morrisania;  from  which  a 
chain  of  centinels,  within  half  gunshot  of  each  other,  were 
planted,  from  the  one  side  of  the  shore  to  the  other,  and 
near  the  water  passage3,  between  Morrisania  and  Mon- 
tresor's4  Island,  which  in  some  places  is  very  narrow.  The 
centinels  on  the  American  side  were  ordered  not  to  pre 
sume  to  fire  at  those  of  the  British,  unless  the  latter  be 
gan  ;  but  the  British  were  so  fond  of  beginning,  that  there 
was  frequently  a  firing  between  them.  This  having  been 
the  case  one  day,  and  a  British  officer  walking  along  the 
bank,  on  the  Montresor's  side,  an  American  centinel,  who 
had  been  exchanging  some  shots  with  a  British  centinel, 
seeing  the  officer,  and  concluding  him  to  be  better  game, 
gave  him  a  shot,  and  wounded  him.  He  was  carried  up  to 
the  house  on  the  island.  An  officer,  with  a  flag,  soon  came 
down  to  the  creek,  and  called  for  the  American  officer  of 
the  picket,  and  informed  him,  that  if  the  American  centi 
nels  fired  any  more,  the  commanding  officer  on  the  island 
would  cannonade  Col.  Morris's  house,  in  which  the  officers 
of  the  picket  quartered.  The  American  officer  immediately 
sent  up  to  our  General,  to  know  what  answer  should  be  re 
turned.  He  was  directed  to  inform  the  British  officer,  that 

1  Colonel  John  Haslett  of  the  Delaware    regiment.      He    was    killed 
at  Princeton,  January  3,  1777. 

2  Colonel     Samuel  John     Atlee     (17 1786)     of    the     Pennsylvania 

Musket  Battalion. 

3  The  "water-passage"  is  now  known  at  the  Bronx  Kills. 

4  Montresor's  is  the  present  Randall's  Island. 


55 

the  American  centinels  Lad  always  been  instructed  not  to 
fire  on  centinels,  unless  they  were  first  fired  upon,  and  then 
to  return  the  fire ;  that  such  would  be  their  conduct :  as  to 
the  cannonading  of  Col.  Morris's  house,  they  might  act 
their  pleasure.  The  firing  ceased  for  some  time ;  but  a  raw 
Scotch  centinel  having  been  planted  one  day,  he  very 
soon  after  discharged  his  piece  at  an  American  centinel, 
nearest  to  him,  which  was  immediately  returned;  upon 
which  a  British  officer  came  down,  and  called  to  the  Ameri 
can  officers,  observing  that  he  thought  there  was  to  be  no 
firing  between  the  centinels.  He  was  answered,  that  their 
own  began ;  upon  which  he  replied,  "He  shall  then  pay  for 
it."  The  centinel  was  directly  after  relieved,  and  there 
was  no  firing  between  the  centinels,  at  that  place,  any 
more;  and  they  were  so  civil  to  each  other,  on  their  posts, 
that  one  day,  at  a  part  of  the  creek  where  it  was  practi 
cable,  the  British  centinel  asked  the  American,  who  was 
nearly  opposite  to  him,  if  he  could  give  him  a  chew  of  to 
bacco  :  the  latter,  having  in  his  pocket  a  piece  of  a  thick 
twisted  roll,  pent  it  across  the  creek,  to  the  British  centi 
nel,  who,  after  taking  off  his  bite,  sent  the  remainder  back 
again. 

20th. — The  Commander  in  Chief,  Maj.  Gen.  Putnam, 
and  some  other  officers,  came  up  to  our  General's  division, 
and  rode  round  the  camp,  which,  by  the  return,  given  in 
on  the  next  day,  consisted  of  8771 ;  but  of  these  there  was 
1294  sick  present,  and  1108  sick  absent. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st,  between  one  and  two  o'clock, 
the  light  of  a  great  fire  was  discovered  to  the  southward, 
which  proved  to  be  at  New-York ;  when  a  considerable 
part  of  the  city  was  consumed. 

22d. — Two  seamen,  belonging  to  La  Brune,  a  Brit 
ish  ship  of  war,  which  lay  near  Montresor's  Island,  de 
serted,  and  came  to  our  General's  quarters;  and  informed 
him,  upon  examination,  that  the  British  had  then  but  a  few 
men  on  the  island,  stating  the  number;  that  the  piece  of 
cannon,  which  had  been  put  on  the  island,  was  taken  back 


66 

again,  on  board  La  Brune;  that  there  were  a  number  of 
officers  at  the  house,  in  which  there  was  a  considerable 
quantity  of  baggage  deposited,  &c.  Our  General  supposed 
that  these  troops  might  be  easily  taken;  and,  having  called 
the  General  Officers  of  his  division  together,  took  their 
opinion,  who  all  coincided  with  him  in  sentiment.  He  then 
communicated  his  intention  to  the  Commander  in  Chief, 
who  gave  it  his  approbation.  Two  hundred  and  forty  men 
were  destined  for  this  enterprise :  the  command  was  given 
to  Lieut.  Col.  Michael  Jackson,  of  the  Massachusetts  line, 
with  Majors  Logan1  and  -  — ,  whose  name  cannot  be  recol 
lected,  of  the  New- York  troops.  They  were  to  embark  on 
board  three  flat-boats,  covered  by  a  fourth  with  a  detach 
ment  of  artillery,  with  a  light  three-pounder,  in  case  it 
should  be  found  necessary  in  retreating  from  the  island. 
The  mode  of  attack  was  settled,  and  every  circumstance 
secured,  to  promise  success.  They  were  to  fall  down  Haar 
lem  Creek  with  the  ebb.  The  time  was  so  calculated,  that 
the  young  flood  was  to  be  so  much  made,  at  the  break  of 
day,  as  to  cover  the  fiats  at  the  island,  sufficiently  for  the 
boats  to  float.  Matters  being  thus  settled,  our  General 
ordered  the  two  sailors  to  be  brought  in :  he  then  told  them 
that  in  consequence  of  their  information,  an  enterprise 
against  the  British  troops  on  Montresor's  Island  was  to 
take  place  that  night ;  that  he  had  ordered  them  to  be  kept 
in  safe  custody  until  the  next  morning,  when,  if  their  dec 
larations  respecting  the  state  of  the  British  on  the  island 
proved  to  be  true,  he  would  give  them  a  passport  to  the 
back  country,  whither  they  wished  to  go ;  but,  in  case  their 
information  was  false,  he  would  order  them  hanged  im 
mediately,  as  spies;  that  he  gave  them  the  opportunity,  if 
they  had  made  a  wrong  statement  to  him,  then  to  correct 
it.  They  both  answered,  with  perfect  composure,  that  they 
would  cheerfully  submit  to  the  condition.  Major  Thomas 
Henly  was  now  one  of  our  General's  Aids-de-camp.  He 

1  Major  Samuel  Logan,  5th  New  York. 


57 

importuned  that  he  might  go  with  the  detachment.  He 
was  refused,  and  told  that  he  had  no  business  there;  that 
he  could  exercise  no  command.  He  grew  quite  impatient, 
returned  again  to  the  GeneraFs  room,  and  addressed  him : 
"  Pray,  Sir,  consent  to  my  going  with  the  party — let  me 
have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  the  prisoners  to  you  to 
morrow."  All  his  friends  present  advised  him  not  to  go. 
The  General  finally  consented.  The  troops,  at  the  hour  as 
signed,  embarked.  Our  General  informed  them,  that  he, 
with  others,  would  be  spectators  of  the  scene,  from  a  cer 
tain  point  near  Haarlem  Creek.  Notice  had  been  given  to 
the  guards  and  pickets  on  the  York  Island  side,  not  to  bail 
the  party  as  they  went  down.  Unfortunately,  the  lower 
centinel  had  not  been  so  instructed.  He  was  nearly  oppo 
site  to  the  point  where  our  General  was  to  be;  and  just  at 
the  instant  when  he  arrived,  had  challenged  the  boats,  and 
ordered  them  to  come  to  the  shore.  From  the  boats  they 
answered,  u  Low !  we  are  friends."  The  challenge  was  re 
peated.  The  answer  was,  "  We  tell  you  we  are  friends — 
hold  your  tongue."  A  bounce  into  the  water  was  heard; 
and  instantly  Maj.  Henly  came  wading  to  the  shore, 
stepped  up  to  our  General,  catched  him  by  the  hand,  and 
said,  "  Sir,  will  it  do?"  Our  General,  holding  him  by  the 
hand,  replied,  "  I  see  nothing  to  the  contrary;"  to  which 
Henly  concluded  by  saying,  "  Then  it  shall  do."  He  waded 
back  to  his  boat,  and  got  in.  The  centinel  called  again: 
"  If  you  don't  come  to  the  shore,  I  tell  you  I'll  fire."  A 
voice  from  some  one  in  the  boats,  was,  "  Pull  away !"  The 
boats  went  on  and  the  centinel  fired  his  piece.  The  boats 
reached  the  island  almost  at  the  moment  intended,  just  as 
the  glimmer  of  dawn  was  discoverable.  The  three  I]  eld- 
officers  were  in  the  first  boat.  Their  intention,  on  the  mo 
ment  of  landing,  was,  for  the  two  seconds  in  command  to 
spring,  the  one  to  the  right,  and  the  other  to  the  left,  and 
lead  on  the  troops  from  the  other  two  boats,  which  were 
to  land  on  each  side  of  the  first  boat.  The  field-officers 
landed,  and  the  men  from  their  boat.  The  enemy's  guard 


58 

charged  them,  but  were  instantly  driven  back.  The  men 
in  the  other  two  boats,  instead  of  landing,  lay  upon  their 
oars.  The  British,  seeing  this,  returned  warmly  to  the 
charge.  The  Americans,  finding  themselves  thus  deserted, 
returned  to  their  boat;  but  not  until  Lieut.  Col.  Jackson 
received  a  musket-ball  in  his  leg,  and  Maj.  Henly,  as  he  was 
getting  into  the  boat,  one  through  his  heart,  which  put  an 
instant  end  to  his  life.  The  boats  joined  the  others,  and 
they  all  returned,  having,  in  the  whole,  about  14  killed, 
wounded  and  missing;  Maj.  Heuly  deeply  regretted.  Bad 
only  one  of  the  other  boats  landed  her  men,  the  success 
would  have  been  very  probable;  but  the  two  would  have 
insured  an  execution  of  the  whole  plan,  in  the  opinion  of 
all  concerned.  The  delinquents  in  the  other  boats  were  ar 
rested,  and  tried  by  court-martial,  and  one  of  the  Captains 
cashiered.1 

On  the  night  of  the  23d,  the  British  got  possession  of 
the  works  at  Paulus  Hook.  The  Americans  had  previously 
taken  off  all  the  cannon  and  stores.  On  the  afternoon  of 
the  24th,  the  remains  of  Maj.  Henly  were  interred  by  the 
side  of  Lieut.  Col.  Knowlton,  on  New  York  Island2,  with 
military  honours. 

25th. — The  militia,  which  had  come  out  from  the  west 
ern  parts  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  were  discharged. 

26th. — The  General  Officers  were  in  council  with  a  comi- 
mittee  of  Congress,  sent  to  make  inquiry  into  the  condi 
tion  of  the  army,  and  agree  upon  the  necessary  augmen 
tation. 

27th. — The  Council  set  again.  The  same  day,  Afaj. 
Gen.  Sulllivan,  who  had  for  some  time  been  a  prisoner 
with  the  British,  came  to  Head-Quarters.  The  American 
prisoners  which  were  taken  in  Canada,  were  sent  round 
by  water,  and  landed  at  Bergen  Point,  New-Jersey,  where 
they  were  set  at  liberty.  Gen.  Thompson  was  among  them. 


1  John  Wisner,  of  the  Orange  County  militia. 

2  In  Trinity  Cemetery. 


59 

28th.— Seven  recruits  for  Maj.  Eogers's1  corps,  raising 
for  British  service,  were  taken,  going  to  Long  Island,  and 
sent  in. 

29th. — There  was  an  unusual  movement  of  boats  from 
Long  Island  to  Montresor's  Island,  and  an  attack  was  soon 
expected. 

30th. — The  moving  over  of  boats  to  Montresor's  Island 
continued.  The  same  day,  a  frigate  went  through  Dell 
Gate,  and  came  to  anchor  about  10  o'clock,  A.  M.  near 
La  Brune.  At  12  o'clock,  she  came  to  sail,  and  stood  to  the 
eastward.  Just  at  evening  another  ship  came  up ;  and  the 
next  morning, 

October  1st,  was  at  anchor  in  the  channel,  between 
Haarlem  and  Banian's2  or  Eldridge's  Island. 

3d. — The  Brigadier-Generals  of  our  General's  division 
were  in  council,  and  several  new  works  were  laidj  out; 
among  others,  a  redoubt  on  the  hill  above  Williains's 
Bridge.  Our  General,  in  reconnoitring  his  position,  ac 
companied  by  Col.  Hand,  below  the  camp  of  the  rifle  corps, 
being  apprehensive  that  the  British  might  land  on  Frog's 
Neck,  took  a  view  of  the  causeway  between  West-Chester 
and  the  point.  Upon  the  creek,  which  runs  between  these 
two,  is  a  tide-mill  and  a  plank  bridge:  at  the  mill,  at  the 
west  end  of  the  causeway,  ( the  side  of  the  American  army ) 
was  at  this  time  a  range  of  cord-wood,  as  advantageously 
situated  to  cover  a  party  to  defend1  the  pass,  as  if  con 
structed  for  the  very  purpose.  After  taking  a  full  view, 
our  General  directed  Col.  Hand,  immediately  upon  his  re 
turn  to  his  camp,  to  fix  upon  one  of  the  best  subaltern  of 
ficers,  and  25  picked  men  of  his  corps,  and  assign  them  to 
this  pass,  as  their  alarm-post  at  all  times ;  and,  in  case  the 
enemy  made  a  landing  on  Frog's  Neck,  to  direct  this  officer 
immediately  to  take  up  the  planks  of  the  bridge;  to  have 
every  thing  in  readiiness  to  set  the  mill  on  fire ;  but  not  to 


1  Major     Robert     Rogers,     the     noted     Indian    fighter    and    hero    of 
"  Rogers'  Rock,"  Lake  George. 

2  Baman's  Island  is  now  Ward's. 


60 

do  it,  unless  the  fire  of  the  riflemen  should  appear  insuffi 
cient  to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy  on  to  the  cause 
way;  to  assign  another  party  to  the  head  of  the  creek;  to 
reinforce  both,  in  case  the  enemy  landed;  and  that  he 
should  be  supported.  Col.  Hand  made  his  arrangements 
accordingly. 

4th. — The  brig  and  tenders  in  the  East  River  came  down, 
and  cast  anchor  near  La  Brune  frigate;  and  the  Roe 
buck  and  Phemx  sailed  up  the  North  River,  and  joined  the 
other  ships  which  lay  at  anchor  there. 

5th. — There  were  some  movements  among  the  British; 
and  a  party  appeared  to  be  very  busy  at  work,  a  little  be 
low  Haarlem.  The  same  night,  the  Americans  left  the 
heights  of  Bergen.  They  were  upwards  of  2000  strong. 
They  retreated  as  far  back  as  Burditt's  Ferry. 

6th. — Orders  were  given  for  throwing  up  a  new  work  on 
Haarlem  Creek,  below  the  wood  at  Morrisania. 

7th. — Gen.  Lincoln  came  to  camp.  He  had  come  from 
Massachusetts  with  a  body  of  militia.  This  was  the  first 
of  his  joining  the  main  army.  The  same  day  the  British 
were  putting  over  horses  from  Horn's  Hook  to  Long  Is 
land,  and  fixing  their  pontoons. 

9th. — Early  in  the  morning,  three  ships,  two  of  40  guns, 
and  one  frigate,  with  two  or  three  tenders,  stood  up  the 
North  River.  They  were  briskly  cannonaded  from  Fort 
Washington  and  Fort  Constitution.  They  however  passed 
our  works  and  the  chevaux-de-f rise ;  the  American  galleys, 
small  craft,  and  two  large  ships  standing  on  before  them. 
The  two  ships  were  ran  on  shore  near  Phillips's1  mills,  and 
two  of  the  galleys  near  Dobbs'  Ferry.  The  enemy  took 
possession  of  the  two  galleys,  and  got  them  off.  A  boat 
landed  a  number  of  men,  who  plundered  a  store,  stove  the 
casks,  and  then  set  the  store  on  fire,  and  left  it.  The  Ameri 
cans  soon  extinguished  the  fire. 

1  Philldpse's — the  present  Yonkers. 


Our  General  ordered  Col.  Sargent,  with  500  infantry,  40 
light-horse,  Capt.  Horton1  of  the  artillery,  with  two  12 
pounders,  and  Capt.  Crafts2  with  a  howitzer,  to  march  im 
mediately,  with  all  possible  expedition,  to  Dobbs'  Ferry. 
The  enemy  took  a  schooner  loaded  with  rum,  sugar,  wine, 
&c.  and  sunk  a  sloop,  which  had  on  board  the  machine,3  in 
vented  by,  and  under  the  direction  of,  a  Mr.  Bushnell,  in 
tended  to  blow  up  the  British  ships.  This  machine  was 
worked  under  water.  It  conveyed  a  magazine  of  powder, 
which  was  to  be  fixed  under  the  keel  of  a  ship,  then  freed 
from  the  machine,  and  left  with  clock-work  going,  which 
was  to  produce  fire  when  the  machine  had  got  out  of  the 
way.  Mr.  Bushnell  had  great  confidence  of  its  success, 
and  had  made  several  experiments  which  seemed  to  give 
him  countenance;  but  its  fate  was  truly  a  contrast  to  its 
design. 

Our  General's  division  was  formed  in  line,  with  its  ad 
vance,  reserve,  flank-guards,  and  artillery,  all  in  order  of 
battle,  when  they  were  moved  down  over  the  different 
grounds,  which  it  was  supposed  might  be  the  scene  of  ac 
tion.  Some  of  this  ground  was  very  broken,  and  there 
were  many  fences.  These  afforded  frequent  opportunities 
for  the  troops  to  break  off  and  form;  for  the  pioneers  to 
open  avenues,  &c.  and  for  the  whole  to  become  acquainted 
with  every  part  of  the  ground,  and  the  best  choice  of  it,  if 
suddenly  called  to  action. 

10th. — One  of  the  ships  which  was  ran  aground,  was 
got  off  by  the  Americans.  Col.  Sargent  returned,  having 


1  Captain  Jotham  Horton  of  Knox's  artillery. 

2  Captain  Edward  Crafts  of  the  same. 

3  The  Turtle  deserv€d  a  better  fate.     It  was  the    invention    of    David 
Bushnell  of  Saybrook,  Conn.,  and  had  very  nearly  succeeded  in  blow 
ing  up  the  British  frigate  Eagle  in  the  previous  August,  when  she  lay 
near  Governor's  Island.    Ezra  Lee  of  Lyme,  Conn.,  managed  the  craft, 
as  Bushnell  was  sick  at  the  time.    Commander  F.  W.  Barber,  U.  S.  N., 
carefully  examined  the  plans  of  the  Turtle  a  few  years  ago.     His  con 
clusion  was  that  "it  seems  to  have  been  the  most  perfect  thing  of 
its  kind  that  has  ever  been  constructed,  before  or  since." 


62 

left  180  men  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  British  up  the 
river. 

llth. — There  was  a  considerable  movement  among  the 
British  boats  below.  This  afternoon,  Gen.  Washington's 
pleasure-boat,  coming  down  the  river  with  a  fresh  breeze, 
and  a  topsail  hoisted,  was  supposed,  by  the  artillerists  at 
Mount  Washington  to  be  one  of  the  British  tenders  run 
ning  down.  A  12  pounder  was  discharged  at  her,  which 
was  so  exactly  pointed  as  unfortunately  to  kill  three 
Americans,  who  were  much  lamented.  The  same  day,  sev 
eral  of  Gen.  Lincoln's  regiments  arrived,  two  of  which  were 
posted  on  the  North  Kiver. 

12th. — Early  in  the  morning,  80  or  90  British  boats,  full 
of  men,  stood  up  the  sound,  from  Montresor's  Island, 
Long  Island,  &c.  The  troops  landed  at  Frog's  Neck,  and 
their  advance  pushed  towards  the  causeway  and  bridge, 
at  West  Chester  mill.  Col.  Hand's  riflemen  took  up  the 
planks  of  the  bridge,  as  had  been  directed,  and  commenced 
a  firing  with  their  rifles.  The  British  moved  towards  the 
head  of  the  creek,  but  found  here  also  the  Americans  in 
possession  of  the  pass.  Our  General  immediately  (as  he 
had  assured  Col.  Hand  he  would  do)  ordered  Col.  Pres- 
cott,  the  hero. of  Bunker  Hill,  with  his  regiment,  and  Capt. 
Lieut.  Bryant'  of  the  artillery,  with  a  3  pounder,  to  rein 
force  the  riflemen  at  West  Chester  causeway;  and  Col. 
Graham  of  the  New- York  line,  with  his  regiment,  and 
Lieut.  Jackson  of  the  artillery,  with  a  6  pounder,  to  rein 
force  at  the  head  of  the  creek;  all  of  which  was  promptly 
done,  to  the  check  and  disappointment  of  the  enemy.  The 
British  encamped  on  the  Neck.  The  riflemen  and  Jagers 
kept  up  a  scattering  popping  at  each  other  across  the 
marsh;  and  the  Americans  on  their  side,  and  the  British 
on  the  other,  threw  up  a  work  at  the  end  of  the  causeway. 
Capt.  Bryant,  now  and  then,  when  there  was  an  object, 
saluted  the  British  with  a  field-piece. 


1  John  Bryant  of  Massachusetts. 


.63 

In  the  afternoon,  40  or  50  sail  of  vessels  passed  up,  and 
came  to  anchor  off  Frog's  Point.  The  same  evening,  Gen. 
M'Dougal's  brigade  joined  our  General's  division. 

13th. — The  brigade  formerly  under  the  command  of  our 
General,  when  he  was  Brigadier,  joined  his  division.  The 
division  now  became  very  strong.  The  General  Officers  of 
the  army  were  this  day  in  council,  at  our  General's  quar 
ters. 

14th. — Our  General,  with  the  Generals  under  his  com 
mand,  reconnoitred  the  enemy  at  Frog's  Neck ;  afterwards, 
the  General  Officers  of  the  army  reconnoitred  the  various 
grounds.  The  same  day,  Maj.  Gen.  Lee  was  ordiered  to  the 
command  of  the  troops  above  Kingsbridge,  now  become 
the  largest  part  of  the  American  army.  But  Gen.  Wash 
ington  had  desired  him  not  to  exercise  the  command  for  a 
day  or  two,  until  he  could  make  himself  acquainted  with 
the  post,  its  circumstances,  and  arrangements  of  duty.  A 
great  number  of  sloops,  boats,  &c.  were  passing  the 
Sound  eastward,  just  at  dusk — probably  conveying  am 
munition,  provisions,  &c.  to  the  troops  at  Frog's  Point, 

15th. — Five  sailors  came  off  from  La  Brune.  They 
informed,  that  there  was  a  large  body  of  the  British  on 
Frog's  Point,  and  that  an  attack  might  soon  be  expected. 
The  scattering  fire  across  the  marsh  continued,  and  now 
and  then  a  man  was  killed. 

16th. — Two  works  were  discovered  on  Frog's  Neck, 
nearly  finished.  The  General  Officers  of  the  army  rode  to 
reconnoitre  the  ground  at  Pell's  Neck,1  &c.  and  it  was  de 
termined  that  the  position  of  the  Amercan  army  should 
be  immediately  changed;  the  left  flank  to  be  extended 
more  northerly,  to  prevent  its  being  turned  by  the  British. 

17th.— Wadsworth's  and  Fellows's  brigades  came  to 
Kingsbridge.  The  British  shipping,  &c.  continued  mov 
ing  eastward. 


1  Pell's  Neck  is  the  present  Rodman's  Neck  in  the  town  of  Pelham, 
N.  Y. 


64 

18th. — The  regiment  at  West  Chester  causeway  had  been 
relieved  by  another.  The  officer  on  command  there,  this 
morning,  sent  up  an  express  to  our  General,  informing  him 
that  the  British  were  opening  an  embrasure  in  their  \vork 
at  the  end  of  the  cause  way,  and  that  he  apprehended  they 
intended,  under  a  cannonade  from  this,  to  attempt  to  pass. 
Our  General  ordered  one  of  his  Aids  to  gallop  his  horse  to 
the  officer  commanding  the  brigade,  near  Valentine's1,  the 
nearest  to  West  Chester,  and  order  him  to  form  his  brigade 
instantly.  Arriving,  himself,  by  the  time  the  brigade  was 
formed,  he  ordered  the  officer  to  march,  with  the  utmost  ex 
pedition,  to  the  head  of  the  causeway,  to  reinforce  the 
troops  there;  himself  moving  on  with  them.  When  the 
troops  had  advanced  to  about  half  the  way  between  the 
head  of  the  creek  and  the  post  at  the  head  of  the  causeway, 
another  express  met  him,  informing  him  that  the  whole 
British  army  were  in  motion,  and  seemed  to  be  moving  to 
wards  the  pass  at  the  head  of  the  creek.  Upon  this,  the 
brigade  was  ordered  to  halt,  the  whole  to  prime  and  load, 
and  the  rear  regiment  to  file  off  by  the  left,  and  march 
briskly  to  reinforce  the  Americans  at  the  pass,  at  the  head 
of  the  creek.  At  this  instant,  Gen.  Washington  came  up, 
and  having  inquired  of  our  General  the  state  of  things, 
ordered  him  to  return  immediately,  and  have  his  division 
formed  ready  for  action,  and  to  take  such  a  position  as 
might  appear  best  calculated  to  oppose  the  enemy,  should 
they  attempt  to  land  another  body  of  troops  on  Morri- 
sania,  which  he  thought  not  improbable.  Our  General 
immediately  obeyed  the  order. 

The  wind  was  now  fresh  at  south-west.  The  British 
crossed  to  the  other  side  of  Frog's  Neck,  embarked  on 
board  their  boats,  crossed  over  the  cove,  landed  on  Pell's 
Neck,  and  moved  briskly  upwards.  Three  or  four  of  the 
American  regiments  advanced  towards  them,  and  took  a 
good  position  behind  a  stone  fence.  When  the  British  had 

1  Valentine's  Hill,  between  Yonkers  and  Williams'  Bridge. 


65 

advanced  sufficiently  near,  they  gave  them  a  pretty  close 
fire,  which  checked  them,  and  even  obliged  them  to  fall 
back ;  but  being  immediately  supported,  they  returned  vig 
orously  to  the  charge.  The  action  was  sharp,  for  a  short 
time ;  but  the  Americans  were  soon  obliged  to  give  way  to 
superior  force.  Shepard's1,  Read's,  Baldwin's  and 
Glover's  regiments,  had  the  principal  share  in  this  action.2 
The  Americans  had  between  30  and  40  men  killed  and 
wounded;  among  the  latter,  Col.  Shepard,  in  the  throat, 
not  mortally,  although  the  ball  came  well  nigh  effecting 
instant  death.  The  loss  of  the  British  was  not  known,  but 
must  have  been  considerable.  They  advanced  almost  to 
New  Rochelle,  and  halted.  The  American  army  extended 
its  left. 

A  number  of  boats  went  down  towards  New- York.  It 
now  became  necessary,  immediately  to  quit  the  position 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kingsbridge,  the  British  being  in 
the  rear  of  the  left  of  our  army;  and  it  is  not  a  little  un 
accountable  that  they  did  not  attempt  to  stretch  them 
selves  across  to  the  Hudson,  which  might  have  been  done 
with  great  ease.  They  only  moved  higher  up,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  little  rivulet  Bronx,  which  was  generally  ford- 
able.  The  White  Plains  were  fixed  upon  for  the  next  posi 
tion  of  the  American  army.  A  strong  garrison  was  to  be 
left  at  Fort  Washington,  and  our  General  was  to  leave  one 
of  his  regiments,  to  garrison  Fort  Independence. 

21st. — At  about  4  o'clock  P.  M.  our  General's  division 
moved  from  above  Kingsbridge,  having,  besides  their  light 
field-pieces,  two  heavy  iron  twelve-pounders.  About  8 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  they  passed  Gen.  Lincoln's  quar 
ters  on  Valentine's  Hill,  where  the  Commander  in  Chief 
was  to  spend  the  night.  Our  General  waited  upon  him,  to 
know  if  he  had  any  particular  commands  for  him.  The 

1  Col.  Wm.  Shepard  (see  p.  49).      Col.  Joseph  Read,  Thirteenth  Mass. 
Col.  Loammi  Baldwin  (1745-1807),  Twenty-sixth  Continentals.  Col.  John 
Glover   (1732-1797),  Fourteenth  Mass. 

2  For  a  full  account  of  this  action,  which  had  very  important  results, 
see  the  Editor's  "  Battle  of  Pell's  Point,  Pelham." 


66 

Commander  in  Chief  only  advised  to  send  forward  one  of 
his  regiments,  to  occupy  the  road  coming  from  Ward's 
Bridge,  nearly  to  whose  farm  the  British  had  now  ad 
vanced;  lest,  apprised  of  his  moving,  they  should  annoy 
his  right  flank,  which,  if  it  had  been  day-light,  would  have 
been  open  to  their  view:  But  before  the  column  reached 
this  cross  road,  it  was  learnt  that  Col.  Jonathan  Brewer's 
regiment  of  artificers,  who  were  pretty  strong,  and  well 
armed,  were  to  pass  the  night  at  the  entrance  of  the  road, 
leading  to  the  bridge  before  mentioned.  The  division 
reached  Chaderton's  Hill1,  to  the  south  of  White  Plains, 
at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  22d,  having  marched  all 
night.  The  instant  our  General  ascended  the  hill,  he 
noticed,  to  appearance,  many  flashes,  resembling  the  flash 
of  the  pan  of  a  musket,  on  the  other  side  of  the  lot ;  on 
which  he  immediately  ordered  a  Captain,  with  a  party,  to 
discover  what  it  was ;  who  returned,  that  he  could  not  make 
discovery  of  any  thing.  These  were  indeed  the  flashes  of 
discharged  muskets  at  some  distance;  the  height  of 
ground  having  decoyed  the  appearance  of  the  distance. 
Lord  Stirling,  who  was  before  in  this  vicinity  with  his  bri 
gade,  had  formed  an  enterprise  against  Maj.Rogers's  corps. 
The  old  Indian  hunter  in  the  late  French  war,  who  had 
now  engaged  in  the  British  service,  with  his  corps,  now 
lay  on  the  out-post  of  the  British  army,  near  Marroneck.2 
The  enterprise  was  conducted  with  good  address;  and  if 
the  Americans  had  known  exactly  how  Rogers'  corps  lay, 
they  would  probably  have  killed  or  taken  the  whole.  As 
it  was,  36  prisoners,  60  muskets,  and  some  other  articles 
were  taken.  The  Major,  conformably  to  his  former  gen 
eral  conduct,  escaped  with  the  rest  of  his  corps.  This  was 
a  pretty  affair ;  and  if  the  writer  could  recollect  the  name 
of  the  commanding  officer3,  with  pride  and  pleasure  he 

1  Chattel-ton's  Hill. 

2  Mamaroneck. 

3  The  officer  was  Colonel  Haslett    (see    p.  62)    with    his    own   and    a 
detachment  of  Maryland  troops. 


67 

would  insert  it.  He  belonged  to  one  of  the  southern  lines 
of  the  army;  and  the  whole  of  the  party  were  southern 
troops. 

The  same  day,  our  General  moved  his  division,  and  took 
post  on  the  high  strong  ground,  to  the  north  of  the  court 
house.  Gen.  Sullivan's  division  reached  the  Plains  in  the 
course  of  the  succeeding  night.  In  the  position  of  White 
Plains,  our  General's  division  was  on  the  left  of  the  line. 
On  his  left  was  a  deep  hollow,  through  which  ran  a  small 
brook,  which  came  from  a  mill-pond  a  little  above.  On  the 
east  side  of  this  hollow  was  a  very  commanding  ground, 
which  would  enfilade  the  division.  The  top  of  this  high 
ground  was  covered  with  wood.  To  this  hill  he  ordered 
Col.  Malcolm1,  with  his  regiment  of  New  York  troops, 
and  Lieut.  Fenno2  of  the  artillery,  with  a  field-piece,  di 
recting  them  to  take  post  in  the  skirt  of  the  wood,  at  the 
south  brow  of  the  hill.  The  ground,  from  our  General's 
left  to  the  right,  descended  gradually  a  very  considerable 
distance,  and  then  gradually  ascended  up  to  the  plain,  and 
still  on  to  the  right,  to  more  commanding  ground.  On  this 
was  the  American  army  formed,  the  line  running  nearly 
from  north-east  to  south-west.  There  were  some  strong 
works  thrown  up  on  the  plain,  across  the  road,  and  still  to 
the  right  of  it.  Chatterton's  Hill  was  a  little  advanced  of 
the  line,  and  separated  from  it  by  the  little  rivulet  Bronx. 
A  body  of  the  Americans  were  posted  on  this  hill.  Head- 
Quarters  were  on  the  plain,  near  the  cross  roads.  Our 
General's  division  had  only  slight  works  for  musketry. 

23d. — A  cannonade  was  heard  towards  the  Hudson. 
The  same  evening,  Col.  Tyler's3,  Huntington's4,  and 
Throop's5  regiments,  of  General  Parson's  brigade,  and  of 


1  Col.  William  Malcolm,  N.  Y. 

2  Lieut.  Ephraim  Fenno,  Knox's  artillery. 

3  Col.  John  Tyler,  10th  Conn. 

4  Col.  Jedediah  Huntington,  17th  Conn. 

5  Dyer   (or  Dyar)    Throop    of    East    Haddam,    was    lieutenant-colonel 
25th  Conn.  Militia  in  1775,  colone]  in  1780, 


68 

our  General's  division,  moved,  and  took  post  at  the  head 
of  King-street,  near  Eye  Pond.  Gen.  Lee's  division  had 
not  yet  got  up  to  the  army. 

24th. — At  5  o'clock,  A.  M.  a  firing  of  small  arms  was 
heard  to  the  southward.  It  was  a  skirmish  between  200 
men  of  Gen.  Lee's  division,  and  250  Hessians — 10  of  the 
latter  were  killed,  and  two  taken  prisoners.  The  British 
continued  moving  up,  but  with  great  caution,  their  rear 
scarcely  advancing,  when  they  came  to  encamp  again, 
much  further  than  where  the  advance  had  moved  from — 
they  advanced  in  two  columns. 

25th. — Eight  American  regiments  were  ordered  to  be 
ready  to  march  in  the  approaching  night.  Gen.  Putnam 
was  to  command  them ;  and  they  were  intended  to  make  an 
attack  on  the  enemy's  advance,  if  it  should  appear  to  be 
practicable.  The  same  morning,  one  12  pounder  at  Dobbs' 
Ferry  drove  the  British  man-of-war  off  that  place  from 
her  station. 

26th. — Gen.  Lee's  division  joined  the  army.  In  ascend 
ing  some  of  the  hills  on  the  road,  this  division,  encumbered 
with  many  wagons,  was  obliged  to  halt,  and  double  the 
teams,  in  open  view  of  the  British,  and  at  no  considerable 
distance,  who  did  not  attempt  to  disturb  them ;  which,  had 
they  done,  the  loss  of  the  cannon,  wagons,  &c.  could  not 
have  been  avoided.  The  troops  would  have  bent  their 
march  unincumbered  towards  the  Hudson;  but  the  wag- 
one,  &c.  must  have  been  left.  Two  or  three  British  sold 
iers  and  a  Hessian  were  taken  prisoners,  and  sent  in. 

27th. — In  the  forenoon,  a  heavy  cannonade  was  heard  to 
wards  Fort  Washington.  Thirteen  Hessians  and  two  or 
three  British  soldiers  were  sent  in  on  this  day.  From  the 
American  camp  to  the  west-south-west,  there  appeared  to 
be  a  very  commanding  height,  worthy  of  attention.  The 
Commander  in  Chief  ordered  the  General  Officers  who 
were  off  duty,  to  attend  him  to  reconnoitre  this  ground, 
on  this  morning.  When  arrived  at  the  ground,  although 
very  commanding,  it  did  not  appear  so  much  so  as  other 


69 

grounds  to  the  north,  and  almost  parallel  with  the  left  of 
the  army,  as  it  was  then  formed.  "  Yonder,"  says  Major- 
Gen.  Lee,  pointing  to  the  grounds  just  mentioned,  "  is  the 
ground  we  ought  to  occupy."  "  Let  us  go  and  view  it,"  re 
plied  the  Commander  in  Chief.  When  on  the  way,  a  light- 
horseman  came  up  in  full  gallop,  his  horse  almost  out  of 
breath,  and  addressed  Gen.  Washington — "  The  British 
are  on  the  camp,  Sir."  The  General  observed — "  Gentle 
men,  we  have  now  other  business  than  reconnoitring," 
putting  his  horse  in  full  gallop  for  the  camp,  and  followed 
by  the  other  officers.  When  arrived  at  Head- Quarters,  the 
Adjutant-General  (Read,1)  who  had  remained  at  camp,  in 
formed  the  Commander  in  Chief  that  the  guards  had  been 
all  beat  in,  and  the  whole  American  army  were  now  at  their 
respective  posts,  in  order  of  battle.  The  Commander  in 
Chief  turned  round  to  the  officers,  and  only  said,  "  Gentle 
men,  you  will  repair  to  your  respective  posts,  and  do  the 
best  you  can."  Our  General,  on  arriving  at  his  own  di 
vision,  found  them  all  in  the  lines;  and,  from  the  height  of 
his  post,  found  that  the  first  attack  was  directed  against 
the  Americans  on  Chatterton's  Hill.  The  little  river  Bronx, 
which  ran  betweeen  the  American  right  and  this  hill,  after 
running  round  its  north  side,  turned  and  ran  down  on  the 
east  and  south-east.  The  British  advanced  in  two  columns. 
At  this  instant,  the  cannonade  was  brisk  on  both  sides; 
directed  by  the  British  across  the  hollow  and  Bronx, 
against  the  Americans  on  the  hill,  and  by  them  returned. 
Almost  at  the  same  instant,  the  right  column,  composed 
of  British  troops,  preceded  by  about  20  light-horse  in  full 
gallop,  and  brandishing  their  swords,  appeared  on  the 
road  leading  to  the  court-house,  and  now  directly  in  the 
front  of  our  General's  division.  The  light-horse  leaped  the 
fence  of  a  wheat-field,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  on  which  Col. 
Malcolm's  regiment  was  posted;  of  which  the  light-horse 
were  not  aware,  until  a  shot  from  Lieut.  Fenno's  field- 

1  Joseph  Reed. 


70 

piece  gave  them  notice,  by  striking  in  the  midst  of  them, 
and  a  horseman  pitching  from  his  horse.  They  then  wheeled 
short  about,  galloped  out  of  the  field  as  fast  as  they  came 
in,  rode  behind  a  little  hill  in  the  road,  and  faced  about; 
the  tops  of  their  caps  only  being  visible  to  our  General, 
where  he  stood.  The  column  came  no  further  up  the  road, 
but  wheeled  to  the  left  by  platoons,  as  they  came  up ;  and 
passing  through  a  bar,  or  gateway,  directed  their  head  to 
wards  the  troops  on  Chatterton's  Hill,  now  engaged. 
When  the  head  of  the  column  had  got  nearly  across  the 
lot,  their  front  got  out  of  sight;  nor  could  the  extent  of 
their  rear  be  now  discovered.  The  sun  shone  bright,  their 
arms  glittered,  and  perhaps  troops  never  were  shewn  to 
more  advantage  than  these  now  appeared.  The  whole  now 
halted ;  and  for  a  few  minutes,  the  men  all  sat  down  in  the 
same  order  in  which  they  stood,  no  one  appearing  to  move 
out  of  his  place.  The  cannonade  continued  brisk  across 
the  Bronx.  A  part  of  the  left  column,  composed  of  British 
and  Hessians,  forded  the  river,  and  marched  along  under 
the  cover  of  the  hill,  until  they  had  gained  sufficient 
ground  to  the  left  of  the  Americans ;  when,  by  facing  to  the 
left,  their  column  became  a  line,  parallel  with  the  Ameri 
cans.  When  they  briskly  acsended  the  hill,  the  first  col 
umn  resumed  a  quick  march.  As  the  troops  which  were 
advancing  to  the  attack  ascended  the  hill,  the  cannonade 
on  the  side  of  the  British  ceased ;  as  their  own  men  became 
exposed  to  their  fire,  if  continued.  The  fire  of  small-arms 
was  now  very  heavy,  and  without  any  distinction  of 
sounds.  This  led  some  American  officers,  who  were  look 
ing  on,  to  observe  that  the  British  were  worsted,  as  their 
cannon  had  ceased  firing ;  but  A  few  minutes  evinced  that 
the  Americans  were  giving  way.  They  moved  off  the  hill 
in  a  great  body,  neither  running  nor  observing  the  best 
order.  The  British  ascended  the  hill  very  slowly;  and 
when  arrived  at  its  summit,  formed  and  dressed  their  line, 
without  the  least  attempt  to  pursue  the  Americans.  The 
loss  on  the  side  of  the  Americans  was  inconsiderable ;  that 


71 

of  the  British  was  not  then  known.  The  British  having 
got  possession  of  this  hill,  it  gave  them  a  vast  advantage 
of  the  American  lines,  almost  down  to  the  centre. 

29th. — The  British  began  to  throw  up  some  small  works 
on  the  hill,  of  which  they  had  got  possession.  The  Ameri 
cans  were  drawing  back;  and  a  position  was  to  be  taken 
on  the  high  strong  grounds,  before  in  the  rear  of  a  part  of 
the  army.  The  left  of  our  General's  division  was  not  to 
move ;  but  the  remainder  of  his  division,  and  all  the  other 
divisions  of  the  army,  were  to  fall  back  and  form  nearly 
east  and  west.  About  this  time,  Col.  Lasher1,  who  be 
longed  to  our  General's  division,  (and  who  had  been  left 
with  his  regiment  to  garrison  Fort  Independence,  near 
Kingsb ridge)  sent  an  express,  who  passed  the  enemy  in  the 
night,  to  know  what  he  should  do,  the  regiment  growing 
weak  and  sickly.  Our  General  applied  to  the  Commander 
in  Chief,  to  know  his  pleasure,  who  directed  that  the  Col 
onel  should  give  notice  to  Col.  Magaw,  who  commanded  at 
Fore  Washington,  that  he  might  take  away  the  cannon, 
stores,  &c.  and  that  Col.  Lasher,  after  destroying  the  bar 
racks,  huts,  &c.  should  join  the  army,  which  he  soon  ef 
fected.  This  day,  3  prisoners  were  sent  in;  and  the  Ameri 
cans  were  throwing  up  some  strong  works  on  the  high 
ground's. 

30th. — The  British  remained  upon  the  ground  they  had 
taken. 

31st. — The  British  continued  as  before,  throwing  up  a 
work,  &c.  At  night,  the  Americans  evacuated  their  works 
on  the  plain,  near  late  Head-Quarters,  setting  fire  to  sev 
eral  barns,  and  one  house,  which  contained  forage,  and 
some  stores  that  could  not  be  removed. 

November  1st. — In  the  morning,  the  British  advanced 
with  a  number  of  field -pieces,  to  the  north  of  the  road,  near 
late  Head-Quarters,  (a  heavy  column  appearing  behind  on 
the  hill,  ready  to  move  forward)  and  commenced  a  furious 


1  John  Lasher,  Col.  N.  Y.  militia.    He  died,  1806. 


72 

cannonade  on  our  General's  division,  which  was  nobly  re 
turned  by  Capt.  Lieut.  Bryant  and  Lieut.  Jackson1,  of  the 
artillery.  Our  General's  first  anxiety  was  for  Col.  Mal 
colm's  regiment  on  the  hill,  to  the  east  of  the  hollow  on  the 
left,  lest  the  enemy  should  push  a  column  into  the  hollow, 
and  cut  the  regiment  oif  from  the  division.  He  therefore 
ordered  Maj.  Keith2,  one  of  his  Aids,  to  gallop  over,  and 
order  Col.  Malcolm  to  come  off  immediately,  with  Lieut.  Fen- 
no's  artillery :  But,  upon  a  more  critical  view  of  the  ground 
in  the  hollow,  ( at  the  head  of  which  there  was  a  stone  wall, 
well  situated  to  cover  a  body  of  troops  to  throw  a  heavy  fire 
directly  down  it,  while  an  oblique  fire  could  be  thrown  in 
on  both  sides)  he  ordered  Maj.  Pollard,2  his  other  aid,  to 
gallop  after  Keith,  and  countermand  the  first  order,  and 
direct  the  Colonel  to  remain  at  his  post,  and  he  should  be 
supported.  A  strong  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  head  of 
the  hollow,  to  occupy  the  wall.  The  cannonade  was  brisk 
on  both  sides,  through  which  the  two  Aids-de-camp  passed, 
in  going  and  returning.  At  this  instant,  Gen.  Washing 
ton  rode  up  to  the  hill.  His  first  question  to  our  General 
was,  "  How  is  your  division?"  He  was  answered,  "  They 
are  all  in  order."  "Have  you,"  said  the  Commander  in 
Chief,  "  any  troops  on  the  hill  over  the  hollow?"  He  was 
answered,  "  Malcolm's  regiment  is  there."  "  If  you  do  not 
call  them  off  immediately,"  says  the  General,  "  you  may 
lose  them,  if  the  enemy  push  a  column  up  the  hollow."  He 
was  answered,  that  even  in  that  case,  their  retreat  should 
be  made  safe;  that  a  strong  regiment  was  posted  at  the 
bead  of  the  hollow,  behind  the  wall;  that  this  regiment, 
with  the  oblique  fire  of  the  division,  would  so  check  the 
enemy,  as  to  allow  Malcolm  to  make  a  safe  retreat.  The 
Commander  in  Chief  concluded  by  saying,  "  Take  care  that 
you  do  not  lose  them."  The  artillery  of  the  division  was 
so  well  directed  as  to  throw  the  British  artillery-men  sev- 

1  Daniel  Jackson  was  of  Knox's  artillery. 

2  Jonathan  Pollard  and  Israel  Keith,  both  of  Massachusetts. 


73 

eral  times  into  confusion ;  and  finding  that  they  could  not 
here  make  any  impression,  drew  back  their  pieces,  the  col 
umn  not  advancing.  The  British  artillery  now  made  a  cir 
cuitous  movement,  and  came  down  toward  the  American 
right.  Here,  unknown  to  them,  were  some  12  pounders; 
upon  the  discharge  of  which  they  made  off  with  their  field- 
pieces  as  fast  as  their  horses  could  draw  them.  A  shot 
from  the  American  cannon  at  this  place  took  off  the  head 
of  a  Hessian  artillery-man.  They  also  left  one  of  the  ar 
tillery  horses  dead  on  the  field.  What  other  loss  they  sus 
tained  was  not  known.  Of  our  General's  division,  one  man 
only,  belonging  to  Col.  Paulding's1  regiment  of  New- York 
troops,  was  killed.  The  British  made  no  other  attempt  on 
the  Americans,  while  they  remained  at  White  Plains.  The 
two  armies  lay  looking  at  each  other,  and  within  long  can 
non  shot.  In  the  night  time,  the  British  lighted  up  a  vast 
number  of  fires,  the  weather  growing  pretty  cold.  These 
fires,  some  on  the  level  ground,  some  at  the  foot  of  the  hills, 
and  at  all  distances  to  their  brows,  some  of  which  were 
lofty,  seemed  to  the  eye  to  mix  with  the  stars,  and  to  be  of 
different  magnitudes.  The  American  side,  doubtless,  ex 
hibited  to  them  a  similar  appearance.  On  this  day,  our 
General  ordered  three  redoubts,  with  a  line  in  front,  to  be 
thrown  up  on  the  summit  of  his  post,  so  constructed  that 
the  whole  of  them  could  make  a  defence,  and  support  each 
other  at  the  same  time,  if  attacked.  These,  to  the  enemy, 
in  whose  view  they  fully  w^ere,  must  have  appeared  very 
formidable,  although  they  were  designed  principally  for 
defence  against  small-arms;  and  perhaps  works  were  never 
raised  quicker.  There  were  the  stocks  of  a  large  corn-field 
at  the  spot:  the  pulling  these  up  in  hills,  took  up  a  large 
lump  of  earth  with  each.  The  roots  of  the  stalks  and  earth 
on  them,  placed  in  the  face  of  the  works,  answered  the  pur 
pose  of  sods,  or  fascines :  the  tops  being  placed  inwards,  as 
the  loose  earth  was  thrown  upon  them,  became  as  so  many 

1  Levi  Pawling,  lieutenant-colonel  N.  Y.  Levies  ani  major  of  Mal- 
com's  regiment. 


74 

ties  to  the  work,  which  was  carried  up  with  a  dispatch 
scarcely  conceivable. 

The  British,  as  they  say,  had  meditated  an  attack  on  the 
Americans,  which  was  only  prevented  by  the  wetness  of 
the  night.  Be  this  as  it  may,  our  General  had  ordered  his  di 
vision,  at  evening  roll-call,  to  be  at  their  alarm-posts  (which 
they  every  morning  manned,  whilst  at  the  place)  half  an 
hour  sooner  than  usual.  He  had  then  no  other  reason  for 
doing  this  than  the  near  position  of  the  enemy,  and  the 
probability  that  they  would  soon  make  an  attack .  But  the 
Commander  in  Chief  must  have  made  some  other  discov 
ery;  for,  after  our  General  was  in  bed,  Col.  Carey1,  who 
was  one  of  the  Aides-de-camp  of  General  Washington, 
came  to  the  door  of  his  marquee,  and  calling  to  him,  in 
formed  him  that  the  whole  army  were  to  be  at  their  alarm- 
posts,  the  next  morning,  half  an  hour  sooner  than  usual, 
and  that  he  was  to  govern  himself  accordingly.  Our  Gen 
eral  replied,  that  he  had  fortunately  given  such  orders  to 
his  division,  at  evening  roll-call.  He  therefore  neither  got 
up  himself,  nor  disturbed  any  other  of  his  division.2 

3d. — The  centinels  reported  that,  during  the  preceding 
night,  they  heard  the  rumbling  of  carriages  to  the  south 
eastward;  and  it  was  apprehended  that  the  British  were 
changing  their  position. 

5th. — The  British  centinels  were  withdrawn  from  their 
advanced  posts.  It  was  apprehended  that  they  meant  a 
movement.  The  American  army  was  immediately  ordered 
under  arms.  At  2  o'clock,  P.  M.  the  enemy  appeared, 
formed  on  Chatterton's  Hill,  and  on  several  hills  to  the 


1  Richard  Carey  of  Virginia. 

2  Stedman  mistakes  greatly  in  his  history,  where  in  Vol.  II.,  p.  216, 
he  asserts  that  the  Americans  "  evacuated  their  lines  on  the  morning 
of  the  first,  and  retired  across  the  Croton  River  to  North-Castle,  set 
ting  fire,  in  their  retreat,  to  all  the  houses  on  the  White  Plains.    The 
Americans  did  not  quit  their   strong   position   at  the   back  of  White 
Plains  until  the  British  had  retreated  towards  Kingsbridge  as  far  as 
Dobbs'  Ferry,  and  had  there  encamped,  as  is  fully    shown    in    these 
Memoirs.     (Original  note.) 


75 

westward  of  it.  Several  reconnoitring  parties,  who  were 
sent  out,  reported  that  the  enemy  were  withdrawing. 
About  12  o'clock,  this  night,  a  party  of  the  Americans  wan 
tonly  set  fire  to  the  court-house,  Dr.  Graham's  house,  and 
several  other  private  houses,  which  stood  between  the  two 
armies.1  This  gave  great  disgust  to  the  whole  American 
army,  and  drew  from  the  Commander  in  Chief  the  follow 
ing  paragraph,  in  his  orders  of  the  6th :  "  It  is  with  the 
utmost  astonishment  and  abhorrence,  the  General  is  in 
formed,  that  some  base  and  cowardly  wretches  have,  last 
night,  set  fire  to  the  court-house,  and  other  buildings 
which  the  enemy  left.  The  army  may  rely  upon  it,  that 
they  shall  be  brought  to  justice,  and  meet  with  the  pun 
ishment  they  deserve." 

The  British  were  moving  down  towards  Dobbs'  Ferry. 
A  detachment  from  the  American  army  was  sent  out  in  the 
morning  to  harass  their  rear,  but  could  not  come  up  with 
them. 

7th. — Several  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy:  they 
reported  that  they  were  moving  towards  New- York.  The 
reconnoitring  parties  discovered  them  encamped  near 
Dobbs'  Ferry.  They  were  foraging  grain  and  hay,  and 
driving  in  the  cattle.  Two  store-ships  had  run  up  past 
Fort  Washington. 

8th. — The  enemy  continued  encamped  at  and  below 
Dobbs'  Ferry.  A  new  disposition  of  the  American  army 
was  now  to  take  place.  The  southern  troops  were  to  cross 
over  into  the  Jersies.  Gen.  Lee,  with  his  own,  Spencer's, 
and  Sullivan's  divisions,  were  to  remain,  to  secure  and 
bring  off  the  stores ;  and  were  then  to  follow  into  the  Jer 
sies.  Our  General  was  ordered  to  march  with  his  division 
to  Peek's  Kill. 

9th. The  division  moved  from  near  White  Plains,  and 

the  same  night  halted  at  North-Castle. 

10th. — In  the  afternoon,  the   division    reached   Peek's 


1  For  this  Major  Austin  of  Col.  Brewer's    regiment    was    court-mar- 
tialled  and  dismissed  from  the  service. 


76 

Kill.  Gen.  Washington  arrived  at  the  same  place  at  about 
sunset.  It  was  this  day  learnt,  that  Gen.  Carleton's  army 
in  Canada,  after  pushing  the  Americans  in  that  quarter 
from  post  to  post,  until  they  arrived  at  Ticonderoga,  just 
made  their  appearance  before  that  place,  and  then  retired 
towards  Quebec. 

llth. — The  Commander  in  Chief  directed  our  General 
to  attend  him  in  taking  a  view  of  Fort  Montgomery,  and 
the  other  works  up  the  river.  Lord  Stirling,  Generals 
James  and  George  Clinton,  Gen.  Mifflin  and  others  were 
of  the  company.  They  went  as  far  up  the  river  as  Con 
stitution  Island,  which  is  opposite  to  West  Point,  the  lat 
ter  of  which  was  not  then  taken  possession  of;  but  the 
glance  of  the  eye  at  it,  without  going  on  shore,  evinced  that 
this  post  was  not  to  be  neglected.  There  was  a  small  work 
and  a  block-house  on  Constitution  Island.  Fort  Mont 
gomery  was  in  considerable  forwardness. 

12th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  directed  our  General 
to  ride  early  in  the  morning  with  him,  to  reconnoitre  the 
grounds  at  the  Gorge  of  the  Highlands;  and,  on  his  re 
turn,  gave  him  the  command  of  the  troops  and  posts  in  the 
Highlands,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  with  written  instruc 
tions  to  secure  and  fortify  them  with  all  possible  expedi 
tion,  making  a  distribution  of  his  troops  to  the  different 
posts;  and,  at  about  10  o'clock,  A.  M.  Gen.  Washington 
crossed  over  the  river  into  the  Jersies. 

13th. — Our  General  made  a  disposition  of  the  troops 
under  his  command,  to  their  several  destinations.  Col. 
Huntington's  and  Tyler's  regiments,  to  the  west  side  of 
the  Hudson,  to  Sidnum's  Bridge  on  Kamapaugh1  River, 
to  cover  the  passes  into  the  Highlands,  on  that  side :  Pres- 
cott's,  Ward's  and  Wyllys's  regiments,  of  Parsons's  bri 
gade,  (as  were  the  other  two  regiments)  to  the  south  en 
trance  of  the  Highlands,  beyond  Robinson's  Bridge:  Gen. 
George  Clinton's  brigade,  to  the  heights  above  Peek's  Kill 

1  Ramapo. 


77 

Landing :  Gen.  Scott's  brigade,  with  the  three  regiments  of 
Gen.  Parsons's  brigade:  Gen.  James  Clinton,  with  the 
troops  under  his  command,  were  at  the  forts  up  the  river. 
The  British  moved  down,  near  to  Kingsbridge. 

On  the  16th,  the  British  made  their  attack  on  Fort 
Washington.  General  Knyphausen,  with  a  heavy  column 
of  Hessians,  advanced  by  Kingsbridge.  They  were  dis 
covered  by  the  Americans,  from  the  high  grounds  north  of 
Fort  Washington,  as  the  day  broke;  and  cannonaded  from 
the  field-pieces,  placed  at  this  advanced  post.  The  Iles- 
sian  column  divided  into  two;  the  right  ascending  the 
strong  broken  ground  towards  Spitten-Devil1  Creek;  the 
left  nearer  to  the  road,  towards  the  Gorge.  The  first  ob 
tained  the  ground  without  much  difficulty ;  but  the  Ameri 
cans  made  a  most  noble  opposition  against  the  latter,  and, 
for  a  considerable  time,  kept  them  from  ascending  the  hill, 
making  a  terrible  slaughter  among  them ;  but  the  great  su 
periority  of  the  assailants,  with  an  unabating  firmness, 
finally  prevailed :  their  loss  was  greater  here  than  at  any 
other  place.  Meanwhile,  the  British  crossed  Haarlem 
Creek,  in  two  different  places,  charged,  and  finally  routed 
the  Americans  on  that  side,  and  possessed  themselves  of 
the  strong  post  on  Laurel  Hill,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
road  from  Fort  Washington,  and  not  very  distant  from  it; 
Lord  Percy  at  the  same  time  advancing,  with  the  troops 
under  his  command  on  the  island,  towards  the  fort  on  that 
side.  The  Americans,  now  generally  driven  from  their  out 
works,  retired  to  the  fort,  which  was  crowded  full.  A 
single  shell,  now  dropping  among  them,  must  have  made 
dreadful  havock. 

Gen.  Washington  was  now  a  spectator  of  this  distressing 
scene,  from  the  high  bank  at  Fort  Lee,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Hudson;  and  having  a  wish  to  communicate  some 
thing  to  Col.  Magaw,  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort 


1  Spuyten  Duyvil. 


78 

Washington,  Capt.  Gooch1  of  Boston,  a  brave  and  daring 
man,  offered  to  be  the  bearer  of  it.  He  ran  down  to  the 
river,  jumped  into  a  small  boat,  pushed  over  the  river, 
landed  under  the  bank,  ran  up  to  the  fort  and  delivered 
the  message — came  out,  ran  and  jumped  over  the  broken 
ground,  dodging  the  Hessians,  some  of  whom  struck  at  him 
with  their  pieces,  and  others  attempted  to  thrust  him 
with  their  bayonets — escaping  through  them,  he  got  to  his 
boat,  and  returned  to  Fort  Lee.  The  British  had  sum 
moned  Col.  Magaw  to  surrender,  and  were  preparing  their 
batteries  to  play  on  the  fort,  when  Col.  Magaw  thought  it 
best  to  surrender  the  post,  which  he  did  accordingly,  be 
tween  two  and  three  thousand  men  becoming  prisoners. 
The  loss  in  killed  and  wounded,  on  the  American  side  was 
inconsiderable ;  but  the  loss  in  prisoners  was  a  serious  blow 
indeed.  The  prisoners  were  marched  to  New- York;  where, 
being  crowded  in  prisons  and  sugar-houses,  (many  of  them 
being  militia  from  the  Jersey  flying-camp,  who  had  been 
sent  over  to  reinforce  the  garrison,  and  were  unused  to  a 
soldier's  life,  much  less  to  the  poisonous  stagnant  air  of  a 
crowded  prison,)  they  fell  sick,  and  daily  died,  in  a  most 
shocking  manner.  It  was  common,  on  a  morning,  for  the 
car-men  to  come  and  take  away  the  bodies  for  burial,  by 

loads! O  ye  officers  of  the  provost!  to  whatever  nation 

or  people  you  belong,  when  the  unfortunate  of  your  fellow- 
men  are  thus  committed  to  your  charge,  clothe  yourselves 
with  humanity,  and  soothe  distress  as  far  as  in  your  po 
wer  ;  for  by  this,  you  will  secure  a  better  reward  than  your 
present  wages.  And  you  who  have  the  honour  to  command 
armies,  when  your  victories  have  filled  provosts  and  pris 
ons,  think  it  not  beneath  you  to  visit  the  prisons,  that  with 
your  o\vn  eyes  you  may  see  the  state  of  your  prisoners :  for 
such  visits,  the  great  Captain  of  your  Salvation  hath  said, 
shall  be  considered  as  made  to  Himself ;  while  it  also  gives 


1  Capt.  John  Gooch,  9th  Continentals. 


79 

you  a  name  among  men  closely  allied  to  that  of  the  con 
queror.  The  truly  brave  are  always  humane. 

Elated  with  the  easy  reduction  of  Fort  Washington,  the 
British  determined  to  cross  into  the  Jersies,  and  attack 
Gen.  Washington  on  that  side. 

On  the  18th,  Lord  Cornwallis,  with  a  strong  body  of  the 
British  forces,  landed  at  Oloster  Landing1,  on  the  Jersey 
side,  above  Fort  Lee,  the  garrison  of  which  were  obliged 
to  leave  that  post;  and  some  cannon,  stores  and  provisions, 
which  could  not  be  removed,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

20th. — Just  at  evening,  an  express,  which  our  General 
had  sent  down  to  Gen.  Washington  before  he  had  any 
knowledge  of  what  had  happened,  returned  with  a  most 
alarming  account  of  what  he  had  seen  with  his  own  eyes, 
viz.  that  the  Americans  were  rapidly  retreating,  and  the 
British  as  rapidly  pursuing.  The  Adjutant-General 
(Reed)  wished  to  write  to  General  Lee;  but  he  had  neither 
pen,  ink,  or  paper  with  him.  The  light-horseman  had  a 
rough  piece  of  wrapping-paper  in  his  pocket,  and  the  Ad 
jutant-General  had  an  old  pencil.  Bringing  these  two  to 
gether,  he  wrote  to  Gen.  Lee — "  Dear  General,  we  are  fly 
ing  from  the  British,  I  pray  " and  the  pencil  broke. 

He  then  told  the  light-horseman  to  carry  the  paper  to  Gen. 
Lee,  and  tell  him  that  he  was  verbally  ordered  to  add,  after 
/  pray,  "  you  to  push  and  join  us. "The  light-horseman, 
when  he  arrived  at  our  General's,  was  both  fatigued  and 
wet.  He  requested  that  one  of  his  brother  horsemen  might 
proceed  to  Gen.  Lee;  but  he  was  told  that  no  other  could 
discharge  the  duty  enjoined  on  him  by  the  Adjutant-Gen 
eral,  and  that  Gen.  Lee  might  wish  to  make  many  inquiries 
of  him.  He  was  therefore  refreshed  and  pushed  on.  Gen. 
Lee,  instead  of  moving  his  division,  or  any  part  of  it, 
wrote  our  General,  by  the  returning  express,  the  following 
letter. 


1  Traces  of  Cornwallis'  road,  up  the  steep    ascent    of  the    Palisades, 
are  yet  plainly  discernible. 


80 

OAMP,  Nov.  21st,  I77t». 


"  DEAR  GENERAL, 


I  have  just  received  a  recommendation,  not  a  posi 
tive  order,  from  the  General,  to  move  I  lie  corps  under  my 
command  to  the  othei  side  of  the  river.  This  recommends 
tion  was,  I  imagine,  on  the  presumption  that  I  had  already 
moved  nearer  to  Peek's  Kill.  There  is  no  possibility  of 
crossing  over  Dobbs'  Ferry,  or  at  any  place  lower  Mian 
King's  Ferry,  which  to  us  would  be  such  an  immense* 
round,  thai  we  could  never  answer  any  purpose.  I  must 
therefore  desire  and  request,  that  you  will  order  2000  of 
your  corps,  under  a  Brigadier-General,  to  cross  the  river 
opposite  the  General,  and  wait  his  further  orders.  As  soon 
as  we  have  finished  a  necessary  job,  I  will  replace  this  num 
ber  from  hence,  which  job  will,  I  believe,  be  finished  to 
morrow. 

I  am,  dear  General,  yours, 

(Signed)    CHARLES  LEE. 
Gen.  HEATH." 

Upon  receiving  this  letter  from  Gen.  Lee,  (for  our  Gen 
eral  did  not  receive  Ihe  least  hint  from  Gen.  Washington, 
to  move  any  part  of  the  troops  under  his  command,  by  the 
express  who  brought  the  order  to  Lee)  he  took  up  his  in 
structions  from  Gen.  Washington,  to  see  if  he  might  dare 
to  make  any  detachment;  upon  which  he  wrote  Gen.  Lee 
the  following  answer  to  his  letter. 

PEEK'S  KILL,  Nov.  21*f,  1770, 

10  o'clock  at  night. 
"  DEAR  GENERAL, 

I  am  now  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  favours, 
of  this  date,  the  former  of  which  I  had  answered  early  in 
the  evening.  With  respect  to  the  latter,  upon  having  re 
course  to  my  instructions,  I  find  they  are  such  as  not  to 
admit  of  moving  any  part  of  the  troops  from  the  posts  as- 


81 

-<  <l  f.o  iriff,  unless  it  be  by  express  orders  from  his  Ex 
cellency,  or  to  support  you,  in  case  you  are  attacked.  My 
instructions,  among  other  things,  are  as  follow : 

"  Your  division,  with  such  troops  as  are  now  at  Forts 
"  Montgomery,  Independence  and  Constitution,  are  to  be 
"  under  your  command,  and  remain  in  this  quarter,  for  the • 
"  security  of  the  above  posts,  and  the  passes  through  the 
"  Highlands,  from  this  place,  and  the  one  on  the  west  side 
"of  Hudson's  Kiver.  Unnecessary  it  is  for  me  to  say  any 
"  thing  to  evince  the  importance  of  securing  the  land  and 
"  water  communication  through  these  passes,  or  to  prove 
"  the  indispensable  necessity  of  using  every  exertion  in 
"  your  power,  to  have  such  works  erected  for  the  defence 
"  of  them,  as  your  own  judgment,  assisted  by  that  of  your 
"  Brigadiers  and  Engineer,  may  show  the  expediency  of. 
"  You  will  not  only  keep  in  view  the  importance  of  secur- 
"  ing  these  passes,  but  the  necessity  of  doing  it  without 
"  delay :  not  only  from  the  probability  of  the  enemy's  at- 
"  tempting  to  seize  them,  but  from  the  advanced  season, 
"  which  will  not  admit  of  any  spade-work,  after  the  frost 
"  (which  may  daily  be  expected)  sets  in. 

"  Lose  not  a  moment,  therefore,  in  choosing  the  grounds 
"  on  the  east  and  west  side  of  the  river,  on  which  your  in- 
"  tended  works  are  to  be  erected.  Let  your  men  designed 
"  for  each  post  be  speedily  allotted,"  &c.— 

"  After  Instructions  so  positive  and  pressing,  you  will 
readily  agree  that  it  would  be  very  improper,  in  me,  to 
order  any  of  the  troops  from  posts  to  which  they  are  so 
expressly  nssi^ned,  ;md  from  business  which  in  his  JOx- 
cellency's  view  is  so  very  important.  Add  to  thi«,  their 
present  disposition  is  such,  that  to  collect  any  thing  near 
the  number  you  mention,  would  occasion  as  great  delay, 
and  cause  many  of  them  to  march  nearly  as  far,  as  if  Kent 
immediately  from  your  quarter. 

I  am,  dear  General,  with  esteem, 

Yours  respectfully, 
Gen.  LEE."  (Signed)  W.  HEATH. 


82 

This  did  not  seein  to  satisfy  Gen.  Lee,  who  wrote  our 
General  the  following : 

CAMP,  Nov.  2Zd,  1770. 

"SIR, 

By  your  mode  of  reasoning,  the  General's  instructions 
'are  so  binding,  that  not  a  tittle  must  be  broke  through  for 
the  salvation  of  the  General  and  the  army.  I  have  ordered 
Glover's  brigade  to  march  up  towards  Peek's  Kill,  to  put 
the  passage  of  the  Highlands  out  of  danger ;  but  I  intend  to 
take  2000  from  your  division  with  me  into  the  Jersies ;  so 
I  must  desire  that  you  will  have  that  number  in  readiness 
by  the  day  after  to-morrow,  when  I  shall  be  with  you  early 
in  the  forenoon ; 

And  am,  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)   CHAKLES  LEE. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

To  which  our  General  returned  the  following  answer: 

PEEK'S  KILL,  Nov.  2±th,  1776. 
"  SIR, 

Be  my  mode  of  reasoning  as  it  may,  I  conceive  it  to  be 
my  duty  to  obey  my  instructions,  especially  those  which 
are  positive  and  poignant,  and  that  to  deviate  from  them 
even  in  extreme  cases,  would  be  an  error;  though  perhaps 
an  error  on  the  right  side. 

I  can  assure  you,  Sir,  that  I  have  the  salvation  of  the 
General  and  army  so  much  at  heart,  that  the  least  recom 
mendation  from  him,  to  march  my  division,  or  any  part  of 
them,  over  the  river,  should  have  been  instantly  obeyed, 
without  waiting  for  a  positive  order. 

My  conduct  must  be  approved  or  censured,  as  I  adhere 
to,  or  depart  from,  my  orders;  and,  as  it  is  my  duty,  I 
shall  strictly  abide  by  them,  until  they  are  countermanded 
in  such  manner,  as  will  justify  a  deviation  from  them,  to 
him  who  instructed  me,  and  to  the  world. 


83 

I  shall  be  happy  in  being  honoured  with  your  company 
to-morrow ; 

And  am,  with  respect  and  esteem, 
Your  humble  and  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)   W.  HEATH. 
Gen.  LEE." 

After  the  foregoing  was  sent  off,  our  General  reflected 
for  a  moment,  that  as  circumstances  alter  cases,  Gen. 
Washington  being  now  pressed,  and  the  army  with  him  but 
feeble,  he  might  possibly  wish  for  some  aid  from  his  dii- 
vision.  He  therefore  sat  down  and  wrote  him  a  short  let 
ter,  stating  in  what  manner  he  had  disposed  of  the  troops 
under  his  command,  and  wishing  to  know  his  pleasure 
whether  any  part  of  them  should  join  him ;  enclosing  copies 
of  the  letters  he  had  received  from  Gen.  Lee,  and  of  his 
answers.  The  express  was  directed  to  make  the  umost  dis 
patch  out  and  returning,  which  he  effected  on  the  26th, 
(several  days  before  Gen.  Lee  got  up  to  Peek's  Kill) 
bringing  with  him  the  following  letter  from  Secretary 
Harrison : 

The  letter  appears  thus  in  the  Heath  Papers'. 

Peekskill,  Nov.  24,  1776. 
Dear  General:  — 

I  some  days  since  presented  to  your  excellency  the  disposition  of 
the  troops  at  this  post.  I  have  not  as  yet  received  your  excellency's  ex 
press  approval  or  disapprobation.  I  am  endeavoring  to  complete  the 
business  your  excellency  assigned  to  me,  as  fast  as  possible.  On  the 
21st  instant,  I  received  a  letter  from  General  Lee,  a  copy  of  which  is 
enclosed.  I  returned  him  for  an  answer,  that  my  division  was  posted 
at  important  passes  and  with  such  positive  and  pressing  instructions 
from  your  excellency,  that  I  dare  not  remove  them  without  your  ex 
cellency's  express  orders;  which  was  also  the  opinion  of  my  brigadier- 
generals,  that  it  would  be  extremely  hazardous.  The  last  evening  I 
received  another  letter  from  him,  which  I  also  enclose.  It  needs  no 
comment.  I  still  conceive  myself  strictly  bound  by  your  excellency's 
instructions,  and  that  the  importance  of  this  post  is  enhanced  by  the 
enemy's  having  got  possession  of  Fort  Lee  and  thereby  secured  to 
themselves  the  entire  navigation  Hudson's  River  up  to  this  place. 
Should  the  number  of  troops  mentioned  by  Gen.  Lee  be  drawn  from 
this  post,  there  would  not  be  more  than  four  hundred  men,  exclusive  of 
the  garrisons  of  the  forts,  left  on  this  side  of  the  river.  I  consider  my- 
seif  as  accountable  for  the  post,  being  so  expressly  instructed  by  your 
excellency  and  shall  most  strictly  adhere  to  them  until  countermanded 


84 

NEWARK,  Nov.  25ta,  1776. 
"  DEAR  GENERAL, 

I  am  directed  by  Ms  Excellency  to  acknowledge  his 
receipt  of  your  letter  of  yesterday,  and  to  inform  you,  the 
disposition  of  the  troops,  mentioned  in  your  former  letter, 
has  his  approbation. 

"  In  respect  to  the  troops  intended  to  come  to  this  quar 
ter,  his  Excellency  never  meant  that  they  should  be  from 
your  division.  He  has  wrote  Gen.  Lee,  since,  so  fully  and 
explicitly  upon  the  subject,  that  any  misapprehensions  he 
may  have  been  under  at  first,  must  now  be  done  away.  He 
will  most  probably  have  reached  Peek's  Kill  before  now, 
with  his  division,  and  be  pushing  to  join  us.  No  new  event 
has  taken  place. 

I  am,  Sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)   R.  H.  HARBISON. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH. 

21st. — A  heavy  cannonade  was  heard  towards  Amboy. 
22d. — Col.  Tupper,  who  was  down  near  Tappan,  got  up 
to  King's  Ferry.    He  brought  off   the  two   12   pounders 


by  your  excellency's  orders,  or  a  signification  of  your  excellency's 
pleasure  that  I  am  to  obey  such  orders  as  I  shall  receive  from  some 
other  my  senior  officer;  which  alone,  I  think,  can  warrant  a  departure 
from  my  instructions.  I  wish  also  to  know  your  excellency's  pleasure 
as  soon  as  agreeable  to  you,  as  it  may  prevent  altercation  and  confus 
ion.  I  beg  leave  also  to  acquaint  your  excellency  that  the  time  to 
which  the  garrisons  of  Fort  Montgomery  and  Constitution  are  engaged 
expires  (except  as  to  three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  privates)  in  six 
days,  as  does  that  of  General  Scott's  whole  brigade  and  Colonel 
Tash's  regiment.  I  cannot  conclude  without  observing  that  General 
Lee,  in  his  first  letter  to  me,  mentions  that  he  has  received  a  recom 
mendation,  not  a  positive  order,  to  move  the  corps  under  his  command 
to  the  other  side  of  the  river;  and  yet,  although  he  did  not  think  it  ob 
ligatory  on  himself,  in  his  second  letter  he  positively  orders  me  to 
hold  two  thousand  of  my  division  in  readiness  to  march  with  him  across 
the  river,  directly  contrary  to  my  instructions,  extracts  of  which  I  had 
furnished  him  with.  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  with  great  respect,  your 
excellency's  most  humble  servant, 

W.  HEATH. 
His  Excellency,  General  Washington. 


85 

which  were  at  Dobbs'  Ferry,  and  a  quantity  of  provisions. 
The  same  evening,  our  General  ordered  the  Washington 
galley  to  take  station  at  King's  Ferry. 

24th. — Our  General  gave  orders  for  Clinton's  and  Scott's 
brigades  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  march  to  the 
Jersey  side. 

25th. — Scott's  brigade  was  ordered  over  to  Haverstraw, 
and  Col.  Tyler's  regiment,  then  at  Eamapo  Kiver,  to 
march  down  to  Tappan,  to  secure  and  bring  off  the  pro 
visions  which  were  at  that  place. 

27th. — Capt.  Tread  well1,  of  the  artillery,  with  a  three- 


The  following  remarkable  letter  does  not  appear  to  be  referred  to  in 

the    MEMOIRS. — (Mass.  Hist.  Secy.) 

Camp,  Phillipsburg,  Nov.  26,  1776. 
Sir:  — 

I  perceive  that  you  have  formed  an  opinion  to  yourself  that,  should 
General  Washington  remove  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  the  instruc 
tions  he  left  with  you  upon  a  particular  occasion  have  to  all  intents 
and  purposes  invested  you  with  a  command  separate  from,  and  inde 
pendent  of,  any  other  superior;  that  General  Heath  and  General  Lee 
are  merely  two  major-generals,  who  perhaps  ought  to  hold  a  friendly 
intercourse  with  each  other,  and,  when,  their  humour  or  fancied  in 
terest  prompts,  may  afford  mutual  assistance;  but  that  General  Heath 
is  by  no  means  to  consider  himself  obliged  to  obey  any  orders  of  the 
second  in  command.  This  idea  of  yours,  Sir,  may  not  only  be  prejudi 
cial  to  yourself  but  to  the  public.  I  could  wish,  Sir,  before  things  go 
any  further,  you  would  correct  the  notion.  I  enjoined  you  to  send  two 
thousand  men  over  the  river,  and  informed  you  that  I  would  replace 
them  with  an  equal  number.  This  was  the  only  mode  in  my  power  of 
complying  with  the  intuitions  of  the  general,  but  it  seems  your  danger 
was  so  immense  and  your  instructions  so  positive,  that,  instead  of  tak 
ing  a  step  which  both  duty  and  common  sense  dictated,  you  are  so  kind 
as  to  advise  me  to  send  the  troops  from  hence;  the  two  days'  march 
to  Peekskill,  and  the  want  of  wagons,  with  the  badness  of  the  roads, 
making  no  sort  of  difference.  But  I  must  inform  you,  Sir,  that  we  could 
not  have  been  (such  are  our  circumstances)  in  less  than  five  days  at 
Peekskill;  and  that  five  days  may  turn  the  fate  of  an  empire.  If  any 
misfortune  should  happen  from  this  refusal,  you  must  answer  for  It.  If 
any  misfortune  had  happened  to  your  post  by  the  detachment  of  those 
two  thousand  men  from  your  corps,  the  blame  would  have  fallen  upon 
me.  But  enough  on  this  subject.  I  shall  therefore  conclude,  that  the 
Commander-in-Chief  is  now  separate  from  us;  that  I,  of  course,  com 
mand  on  this  side  of  the  water;  that,  for  the  future,  I  will  and  must  be 
obeyed,  I  am,  Sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

To  Major-General  Heath,  Peekskill.  CHARLES  LEE. 


1William  Treadwell   (of  Massachusetts)   of  Knox's  artillery   (died 
April,  1795). 


86 

pounder,  was  ordered  to  move  over  the  river,  and  join  Gen. 
Scott's  brigade.  It  was  learnt  that  many  of  the  inhabi 
tants  of  New-Jersey,  especially  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Hackensack,  were  swearing  allegiance  to  King  George, 
taking  letters  of  protection,  &c. 

28th. — Mr.  Livingston  came  from  Congress,  to  advise 
with  our  General  on  measures  to  obstruct  the  river.  The 
same  day,  Capt.  Harrod  brought  off  from  Tappan  a  con 
siderable  quantity  of  pearl-ash,  bees- wax,  oil,  &c. 

29th. — Two  of  the  regiments  of  Gen.  Clinton's  brigade 
were  ordered  to  move  to  Fort  Constitution,  in  order  to  at 
tempt  the  forming  of  obstructions  in  the  river  near  Poli- 
pins1  Island. 

30th. — Just  before  dinner,  Gen.  Sullivan  arrived  at  our 
General's  quarters;  and  in  the  afternoon  Gen.  Lee  ar 
rived.  He  called  at  the  door;  when  our  General  waiting 
upon  him,  requested  him  to  alight,  he  asked  if  he  could 
have  a  cup  of  tea,  and  was  answered  that  he  should  have 
a  good  one.  Upon  coming  into  the  house,  before  he  sat 
down,  he  wished  to  speak  in  private,  which  being  instantly 
granted,  he  told  our  General  that,  in  a  military  view,  or,  to 
use  his  own  words  exactly,  "  In  point  of  law,  you  are  right ; 
but  in  point  of  policy,  I  think  you  are  wrong.  I  am  going 
into  the  Jersies  for  the  salvation  of  America;  I  wish  to 
-take  with  me  a  larger  force  than  I  now  have,  and  request 
you  to  order  2000  of  your  men  to  march  with  me."  Our 
General  answered,  that  he  could  not  spare  that  number. 
He  was  then  asked  to  order  1000 ;  to  which  he  replied,  that 
the  business  might  as  well  be  brought  to  a  point  at  once 
—that  not  a  single  man  should  march  from  the  post  by  his 
order.  Gen.  Lee  replied,  that  he  would  then  order  them 
himself.  He  was  answered  that  there  was  a  wide  differ 
ence  between  the  two ;  that  Gen.  Lee  was  acknowledged  by 
our  General  to  be  his  senior;  but,  as  he  had  received  posi 
tive  written  instructions  from  him  who  was  superior  to 

l.PollopePs  is  the  modern  spelling. 


87 

both,  he  would  not  himself  break  those  orders.  If  Gen.  Lee 
was  disposed  to  counteract  them,  its  being  done  by  him 
could  not  be  imputed  to  any  other  person;  and  that  he 
knew  the  Commander  in  Chief  did  not  intend  any  of  the 
troops  should  be  removed  from  that  post — having  ex 
pressed  it  not  only  in  his  instructions,  but  also  in  a  letter 
just  received  from  him.  On  the  letter  being  shewn  to  Gen. 
Lee,  he  observed,  "The  Commander  in  Chief  is  now  at  a 
distance  and  does  not  know  what  is  necessary  here  so  well 
as  I  do" — asked  if  he  might  be  favoured  with  the  return- 
book  of  the  division.  Major  Huntington,  the  Deputy- Ad 
jutant  General,  was  directed  to  hand  it.  Gen.  Lee  ran  his 
eye  over  it,  and  said,  "I  will  take  Prescott's  and  Wyllys's 
regiments"  and  turning  to  Major  Huntington,1  said,"You 
will  order  those  two  regiments  to  march  early  to-morrow 
morning  to  join  me."  Our  General,  turning  to  the  Major, 
said,  "  Issue  such  orders  at  your  peril!  "  and  then  turning 
to  Gen.  Lee  addressed  him :  "  Sir,  if  you  come  to  this  post, 
and  mean  to  issue  orders  here,  which  will  break  those  posi 
tive  ones  which  I  have  received,  I  pray  you  to  do  it  com 
pletely  yourself,  and  through  your  own  Deputy  Adjutant- 
General,  who  is  present,  and  not  draw  me,  or  any  of  my 
family,  in  as  partners  in  the  guilt."  Gen.  Lee  replied,  "  It 
is  right.  Col.  Scammell,  do  you  issue  the  order;"  which 
he  did,  and  Huntington  communicated  it  to  the  regiments, 
who  were  now  posted  at  the  gorge  of  the  mountains,  near 
Robinson's  Bridge,  afterwards  called  the  Continental 
Village.  Matters  caried  thus  far,  our  General  turned  to 
Gen.  Lee  again :  "  Sir,  I  have  one  more  request  to  make, 
and  that  is,  that  you  will  be  pleased  to  give  me  a  certificate, 
that  you  exercise  command  at  this  post,  and  do  order  from 
it  Prescott's  and  Wyllys's  regiments."  Lee  replied,  "  I  do 
not  know  that  I  will  comply  with  your  request."  Gen. 
Clinton,  who  was  present,  observed,  "  Gen.  Lee,  you  can- 

1  Ebenezer  Huntington,  afterward  brigadier-general.  (Died  June  17, 
1834.) 


88 

not  refuse  a  request  so  reasonable."  Upon  which  Gen.  Lee 
wrote  as  follows : 

PEEK'S  KILL,  Dec.  1st,  1776. 

"For  the  satisfaction  of  Gen.  Heath,  and  at  his  re 
quest,  I  do  certify,  that  I  am  commanding  officer,  at  this 
present  writing,  in  this  post,  and  that  I  have,  in  that  ca 
pacity,  ordered  Preseott's  and  Wyllys's  regiments  to 
march. 

(Signed)   CHARLES  LEE,  Maj.  Gen." 

Gen.  Lee,  stepping  out  on  the  piazza,  observed  to  an  of 
ficer,  "  Gen.  Heath  is  right."  Early  the  next  morning,  the 
regiments  moved  from  their  cantonment  towards  Peek's 
Kill ;  but  before  they  had  reached  it,  Gen.  Lee,  now  ready 
to  pass  into  the  Jersies,  rode  up  to  our  General's  door,  and 
calling  him,  observed,  "Upon  further  consideration,  I 
have  concluded  not  take  the  two  regiments  with  me— 
you  may  order  them  to  return  to  their  former  post."  This 
conduct  of  General  Lee's  appeared  not  a  little  extraordi 
nary,  and  one  is  almost  at  a  loss  to  account  for  it.  He  had 
been  a  soldier  from  his  youth,  had  a  perfect  knowledge  of 
service  in  all  its  branches,  but  was  rather  obstinate  in  his 
temper,  and  could  scarcely  brook  being  crossed  in  anything 
in  the  line  of  his  profession. 

Gen.  Le^  took  with  him  into  the  Jersies  some 
as  good  troops  as  any  in  the  service;  but  many 
of  them  were  so  destitute  of  shoes,  that  the  blood  left 
on  the  rugged  frozen  ground,  in  many  places,  marked  the 
route  they  had  taken;  and  a  considerable  number,  unable 
to  march,  were  left  at  Peek's  Kill.  The  time  of  service  for 
which  Gen.  Scott's  brigade  was  engaged  to  serve,  expired, 
when  the  whole,  except  about  50,  went  home,  notwith 
standing  the  generous  encouragement  offered  them  by  their 
State,  (New-York)  if  they  would  continue  one  month 
longer. 

2d  and  3d. — Gen.  Lee's  troops  were  passing  the  ferry. 
Gen.  Carleton  having  returned  into  Canada,  a  number  of 


89 

Gen.  Gates' s  regiments  were  now  moving  to  reinforce 
Gen.  Washington — their  van  as  far  as  Morristown — the 
enemy  as  far  as  Brunswick. 

6th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  on  the  4th,  about 
sunset,  70  sail  of  ships  of  war  and  transports  passed  in 
the  Sound  towards  New  England.  Our  General  immedi 
ately  sent  expresses  to  General  Washington,  Gov.  Trum- 
bull,  Mr.  Bowdoin1,  at  Boston,  the  Convention  of  New- 
York,  &c. 

7th. — Three  regiments,  viz.  Greaton's,  Bond's,  and  Por 
ter's2,  arrived  off  the  landing  from  Albany,  on  their  way  to 
Gen.  Washington.  Matters  now  looked  serious  in  Jersey. 
The  British  were  extending  themselves  in  all  directions, 
and  the  inhabitants  obliged  to  become  passive,  if  not  worse. 
Gen.  Gates  had  ordered  the  troops,  moving  from  the  north 
ward,  to  rendezvous  at  Goshen. 

8th. — Our  General  wrote  Gen.  Lee,  that  the  troops  were 
moving  on  from  the  northward,  and  as  Gen.  Gates  had  not 
yet  overtaken  them,  some  of  the  commanding-officers  ap 
peared  to  wish  for  orders  how  to  proceed.  Gen.  Washing 
ton,  it  was  said,  was  as  far  as  Trenton — Lee,  the  preceding 
night,  as  far  as  Pompton.  A  flag  schooner  came  up  from 
New- York,  to  obtain  leave  for  some  families  to  go  in.  A 
Parson  Inglish3  was  on  board.  Orders  were  given  to  treat 
the  flag  with  politeness,  and  at  the  same  time  with  proper 
precaution;  and  the  business  was  laid  before  the  Conven 
tion  of  the  State. 

The  same  day,  Gen.  Clinton,  with  two  British  and  two 
Hessian  brigades,  with  a  squadron  of  ships  under  the  com 
mand  of  Sir  Peter  Parker,  took  possession  of  Khode  Is 
land,  without  the  loss  of  a  man  ;the  Americans  quitting  the 
island  without  making  any  opposition.  Rhode  Island  was 


1  James  Bowdoin  (17 1790),  later  Governor  of  Massachusetts. 

2  Probably  Col.  Elisha  Porter  of  Massachusetts. 

3  Rev.  Dr.    Charles  Inglis,  rector    of    Trinity    Church,    N.  Y.,  and    an 
undaunted  Tory.  His  wife  and  Mrs.  Beverly  Robinson  were  the  only 
women  attainted  of  treason  during  the  Revolution. 


90 

a  great  acquisition  to  the  British,  for  quarters,  forage,  and 
a  safe  harbour;  but  lessened  their  ability  for  other  more 
important  operations  in  the  field. 

On  the  evening  of  the  9th,  our  General  received  orders 
from  the  Commander  in  Chief,  to  move  over  the  Hudson, 
with  Parsons's  brigade,  and  to  move  on  so  as  to  give  pro 
tection  to  the  country,  and  vigour  to  the  cause  in  Jersey. 

10th. — A  little  after  noon,  Parsons's  brigade  marched 
down  to  King's  Ferry;  the  greatest  alertness  having  been 
discovered  by  both  officers  and  men  on  the  occasion. 

llth. — About  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M.  our  General  left 
Peek's  Kill,  and  proceeded  for  the  Jersies;  on  crossing 
King's  Ferry,  gave  orders  for  the  flag  to  be  detained  from 
returning  until  further  orders.  The  troops  crossed  the 
ferry,  and  marched  as  far  as  Col.  Hay's1  at  Haverstraw. 
Hunt  ing  ton's  and  Tyler's  regiments  were  ordered  to  ad 
vance  from  Ramapo  Bridge  to  Paramus.  Our  General 
received  a  letter  from  Gen.  Lee,  in  answer  to  the  one  he 
wrote  on  the  8th  from  Peek's  Kill,  as  follows : 

CHATHAM,  Dec.  Sth,  1776. 

"  DEAR  GENERAL,, 

I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  welcome  tid 
ings;  and  have  only  to  beg  that  you  will  direct  the  regi 
ments  you  speak  of,  to  march  without  loss  of  time  to  Mor- 
ristown.  I  sent  an  express  to  you  last  night,  from  the 
General,  ordering  your  division  over  the  river,  which  I  con 
fess,  for  my  own  part,  I  am  heartily  sorry  for;  as  I  think 
we  shall  be  strong  enough  without  you,  and  New-England, 
with  your  district,  will  be  too  bare  of  troops.  I  am  in 
hopes  here  to  re-conquer  (if  I  may  so  express  myself)  the 
Jersies.  It  was  really  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  before 
my  arrival.  Adieu,  dear  Sir, 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH/'        (Signed)   CHARLES  LEE. 

1  Col.  A.  Hawkes  Hay  was  commander  of  the  Haverstraw  militia 
regiment,  and  an  active  patriot.  A  letter  from  General  John  Morin 
Scott  describes  him  as  "?,  gentleman  uncommonly  spirited  in  the  pub- 
lick  cause." 


91 

The  foregoing  letter  appears  very  different  from  the  for 
mer  ones. 

12th. — Early  in  the  morning,  the  troops  took  up  their 
line  of  march  from  Haverstraw,  and  before  sun-set  reached 
Tappan. 

13th. — Sent  out  a  reconnoitring  party  towards  Hacken 
sack,  to  get  intelligence,  &c.  This  day  Gen.  Lee  was  taken 
prisoner,  near  Chatham,  by  a  party  of  light-horse,  com 
manded  by  Col.  Harcourt.1  Lee  took  quarters  at  a  small 
distance  from  his  troops :  an  inhabitant  gave  notice  of  it 
to  Col.  Harcourt,  who  was  out  reconnoitring  near  that 
neighborhood,  and  who  had  the  address  to  take  and  carry 
him  off. 

14th. — Our  General  held  up  every  appearance  of  moving 
to  Paranius,  and  sent  off  his  baggage  under  escort  to  that 
place;  and  between  11  and  12  o'clock,  marched  briskly  for 
Hackensack,  having  sent  orders  for  Huntington's  and  Ty 
ler's  regiments  to  move  from  Paramus  at  the  same  time. 
Buskirk's2  regiment  was  at  Hackensack  Bridge  the  pre 
ceding  day,  where  they  did  duty,  and  it  was  expected  they 
were  still  at  the  same  place.  To  surprise  and  take  them 
was  the  object;  but  it  was  found  that  Buskirk's  men  had 
moved  the  preceding  day  to  Bergen,  in  order  to  draw  new 
arms.  The  town  was  completely  surprised,  not  having  an 
idea  that  any  but  British  troops  were  near  them.  One 
British  soldier  and  20  or  30  of  their  adherents,  were  taken, 
a  number  of  arms,  &c.  and  at  the  wharf,  several  vessels- 
loaded  with  hay,  &c.  on  the  point  of  sailing  for  New- York. 
A  brig  had  come  to  sail  in  the  morning,  and  run  some  dis 
tance  down  the  river,  and  came  to  anchor.  An  officer  with 
a  party  was  sent  down  to  take  her,  and  bring  her  up ;  but 
the  wind  Avas  so  strong  ahead  that  it  could  not  be  effected. 
The  officer  was  then  directed  to  destroy  the  vessel,  as  she 


1  Harcourt's  regiment  was  the  16th  Light  Dragoons.     Lee    was    con 
sidered  so  important  a  capture  that  Harcourt  was  promoted  to  the 
colonelcy  and    received    other    and    substantial    marks    of    the    royal 
favor. 

2  Buskirk  was  a  New  York  Tory  of  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel. 


92 

had  a  large  quantity  of  forage  on  board,  destined  for  New- 
York;  but  it  was  said,  there  were  some  valuable  articles 
on  board,  which  might  be  taken  out  and  brought  up  in  the 
boats.  The  orders  were  varied  accordingly,  with  direc 
tions,  that  in  case  the  enemy  advanced  before  the  business 
was  completed,  to  set  the  brig  on  fire.  The  boats  brought 
up  one  load;  but  on  returning  to  the  brig,  they  discovered 
a  body  of  the  enemy  advancing,  when  the  brig  was  aban 
doned  without  being  set  on  fire.  The  enemy  immediately 
took  possession  of  her.  Among  the  articles  taken  out,  was 
a  large  chest  of  plate.  This  was  conveyed  to  Peek's  Kill, 
and  delivered  to  the  Deputy  Quarter-Master-General;  and 
when  the  British  afterwards  destroyed  the  public  stores 
at  that  place,  the  chest  of  plate  was  removed  by  the 
Quarter-Master  into  Connecticut;  where  afterwards  Gen. 
Parsons,  in  behalf  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  divis 
ion,  filed  a  libel  in  the  Maritime  Court,  and  the  officer  who 
boarded  the  vessel  filed  one  in  his  own  behalf.  On  trial, 
the  Court  adjudged  the  plate  to  the  latter,  although  he 
boarded  the  vessel  in  obedience  to  express  orders.  About 
100  barrels  of  flour,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the 
Americans  when  they  retreated  before  Lord  Cornwallis, 
were  recovered  and  sent  off ;  and  about  100  arms  were  also 
secured,  with  a  quantity  of  rum,  gin,  &c.  In  the  evening, 
as  two  or  three  American  officers  were  walking  along  the 
street,  a  gentleman,  who  was  an  inhabitant,  came  up  to 
them,  and  expressed  his  joy  on  the  arrival  of  the  troops, 
(supposing  they  were  British.)  The  officers  immediately 
conducted  him  to  our  General,  and  on  entering  the  room 
informed  him,  that  they  came  to  introduce  a  friend  who 
had  joined  them  in  the  street,  and  who  was  able  to  give 
some  important  information.  Our  General  expressed  a 
high  satisfaction,  and  wished  to  know  what  information  he 
could  give.  He  replied,  that  he  heard  there  was  a  large 
body  of  rebels  collecting  up  above  them.  He  was  asked  if 
in  case  these  rebels  should  advance,  any  assistance  could 
be  afforded  by  the  people  of  the  town,  and  whether  they 


93 

could  be  depended  upon?  He  answered  there  were  a  con 
siderable  number,  and  that  they  might  be  depended  upon. 
He  was  asked,  whether  there  was  not  a  number  in  the 
town  who  were  in  favour  of  the  rebels?  He  answered, 
that  there  was;  but  that  they  had  seized  and  sent  off  the 
principal  ones  among  them,  and  that  now  the  others  dared 
not  shew  themselves.  The  joke  was  thus  going  on,  when 
Col.  Prescott,  who  stood  near  him,  holding  his  hat  in  his 
hand,  in  which  there  was  a  red  cockade,  (at  that  time  a 
mark  of  the  distinction  of  rank)  the  gentleman  fixed  his 
eye  upon  it,  and  his  countenance  immediately  fell.  He  was 
then  told  that  those  whom  he  termed  rebels  were  now  in 
possession  of  the  place,  and  had  now  received  his  informa 
tion.  He  was  ordered  into  custody. 

15th. — All  the  wagons  in  the  vicinity  were  collected, 
and  the  flour  and  other  stores  moved  off  to  Paramus.  Re 
connoitring  parties  were  sent  out  to  a  distance,  to  observe 
the  motions  of  the  enemy. 

16th. — The  effects  were  generally  removed,  and  about 
noon  the  reconnoitring  parties  reported  that  the  enemy 
were  advancing  on  both  sides  of  the  place.  They  were  soon 
after  discovered  by  the  guard  at  Acquackanuck  Bridge. 
A  little  before  sun-set,  the  troops  left  the  town.  A  strong 
rear-guard  was  ordered  to  remain  on  the  high  ground  back 
of  the  town,  until  after  dark,  to  light  up  a  number  of  fires, 
and  then  to  move  on  after  the  troops.  Just  before  the  di 
vision  left  the  town,  Gen.  George  Clinton,  attended  by 
some  light-horse,  joined  the  division. 

17th. — Reconnoitring  parties  were  sent  out  on  all  the 
roads. 

18th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  some  of  the  Jersey 
militia  had  had  a  skirmish  with  a  body  of  British  troops 
under  Gen.  Leslie,  near  Springfield.  Both  parties  retired. 
Of  the  militia,  several  were  killed  and  wounded. 

The  Contention  of  New- York,  greatly  alarmed  at  the  re 
moval  of  our  General  with  the  continental  troops  from 
the  important  passes  of  the  Highlands,  sent  a  request  to 


94 

Gen.  Washington,  desiring  that  they  might  be  ordered 
back  again.  To  insure  dispatch,  they  offered  the  express 
extra  pay.  The  Commander  in  Chief  was  pleased  to  grant 
their  request,  and  ordered  our  General  to  return  to  Peek's 
Kill,  and  re-occupy  his  former  positions. 

Our  General,  having  received  certain  information  that 
Buskirk's  regiment  was  at  or  near  Bergen  Woods,  it  was 
determined  to  strike  them.  For  this  purpose,  on  the  even 
ing  of  the  19th  about  8  o'clock,  Gen.  Parsons,  with  250 
continental  troops,  and  Gen.  Clinton,  with  a  like  number 
of  the  militia  of  New- York,  marched  from  Paramus  church, 
and  a  covering  party  of  300  men  was  ordered  to  Tappan. 

About  1  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  detachment 
reached  Bergen,  and  completely  surprised  the  enemy's 
guard,  making  22  men  prisoners.  The  regiment  was 
alarmed,  and  a  pretty  brisk  skirmish  ensued.  The  enemy 
were  collecting,  and  it  was  judged  best  for  the  detachment 
to  come  off,  having  been  so  far  victorious. 

20th. — About  1  o'clock,  P.  M.  the  detachment  returned 
to  Paramus,  having,  in  the  short  interval  of  time,  marched 
(out  and  returning)  upwards  of  40  miles.  They  brought 
back  with  them,  besides  their  prisoners,  16  new  fire-locks, 
6  horses,  and  one  wagon ;  having  sustained  the  loss  of  one 
man.  The  enemy  were  supposed  to  have  had  several  killed. 

21st. — Orders  were  given  for  the  troops  to  be  ready  to 
march  early  the  next  morning.  The  gentleman  who  was 
taken  into  custody  at  Hackensack,  chagrined  almost  to 
death,  had  been  spending  his  time,  like  April,  in  weeping 
and  lowering ;  and  much  intercession  having  been  made  for 
his  release,  our  General  told  him  that  in  case  he  would 
faithfully  perform  a  piece  of  secret  service  allotted  to  him, 
he  should  be  released.  This  he  performed  with  punctu 
ality,  and  consequently  was  set  at  liberty. 

22d. — The  troops  marched  from  Paramus  round  by  the 


95 

side  of  Kakaat1,  to  Clarke-Town,  which  they    reached 
about  sun-set. 

23d. — The  troops  took  up  their  line  of  march,  crossed  the 
Hudson,  and  arrived  at  Peek's  Kill. 

24th. — Gave  permission  for  the  flag  to  return  to  New- 
York,  having  on  board  the  families  of  Mr.  Inglis,  Moore, 
&c. 

25th. — It  was  learnt  that  a  body  of  Hessian  troops  had 
not  long  before  moved  to  the  upper  end  of  York  Island. 
The  militia  of  the  State  of  New- York  were  this  day  begin 
ning  to  come  in. 

26th. — A  severe  snow-storm.  Some  of  the  militia  from 
Massachusetts  had  reached  Danbury. 

29th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  Providence,  that 
a  most  valuable  prize,  taken  by  the  ship  Alfred,  had  ar 
rived  safe  at  New  Bedford,  in  Massachusetts. 

30th. — Col.  Chester,  of  Connecticut,  arrived  at  Peek's 
Kill,  from  Gen.  Washington's  camp,  with  the  agreeable 
news,  that  on  the  preceding  Thursday  morning,  being  the 
26th,  Gen.  Washington,  at  the  head  of  about  3000  men, 
crossed  the  Delaware,  and  attacked  the  enemy  at  Trenton, 
being  about  1600  Hessians;  and  in  about  35  minutes  en 
tirely  defeated  them.  One  Colonel,  2  Lieutenant-Colonels, 
3  Majors,  4  Captains,  8  Lieutenants,  12  Ensigns,  1  Judge 
Advocate,  2  Surgeon's  Mates,  92  Sergeants,  20  Drummers, 
9  Musicians,  25  Officers'  servants,  and  740  rank  and  file 
were  taken  prisoners,  besides  the  killed  and  wounded.  Six 
pieces  of  brass  cannon,  12  drums,  4  standards,  1200  small- 
arms,  6  wagons,  a  number  of  swords,  caps,  &c.  were  the 
trophies  of  victory.  The  same  day,  Colonel  Sparhawk's1 
regiment  of  militia  arrived  from  Massachusetts. 

31st. — Information  was  given,  that  a  company  of  60  dis- 


1  Kakaat     is    now    Ramapo.     It   and    Clarkstown     are     in     Rockland 
County,  N.  Y. 

2  Nathan  Sparhawk. 


96  [1776 

affected  inhabitants  were  on  their  way  to  join  the  enemy. 
Parties  were  sent  out  to  intercept  them. 

1777.  January  1st. — By  a  letter  from  Gen.  Washing 
ton,  it  appeared  that  the  enemy  were  retreating  towards 
Amboy.  Generals  Miffiin  and  Ewing,  and  Col.  Cadwalla- 
der  had  crossed  the  Delaware,  and  Gen.  Washington  was 
about  to  follow  them,  and  pursue  the  enemy. 

2d. — Several  infamous  disaffected  persons  were  taken 
and  sent  in.  The  same  day,  Gen.  Washington  being  at 
Trenton,  Gen.  Howe  advanced  to  attack  him ;  a  cannonade 
ensued :  Gen.  Washington  retired  to  the  other  side  of  the 
Mill  Creek;  and,  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  ordering  a  great 
number  of  fires  to  be  lighted  up,  to  deceive  the  enemy,  stole 
a  march,  and  at  9  o'clock  next  morning  attacked  three  regi 
ments  of  the  enemy  who  were  posted  at  Princeton,  routed 
them,  driving  them  from  two  small  redoubts.  The  enemy 
lost,  in  killed,  wounded  and  taken  prisoners  about  500.  The 
American  loss  was  inconsiderable,  except  in  the  brave  Gen. 
Mercer,  of  Virginia,  who  fell  in  this  action,  greatly  regret 
ted.  In  this  manoeuvre  and  action  Gen.  Washington  ex 
hibited  the  most  consummate  generalship,  and  the  British 
were  struck  with  consternation.  Ambuscade,  surprise  and 
stratagem  are  said  to  constitute  the  sublime  part  of  the 
art  of  war,  and  that  he  who  possesses  the  greatest  resource 
in  these,  will  eventually  pluck  the  laurel  from  the  brow  of 
his  opponent.  The  stratagems  of  war  are  almost  infinite, 
but  all  have  the  same  object,  namely,  to  deceive — to  hold 
up  an  appearance  of  something  which  is  not  intended, 
while  under  this  mask  some  important  object  is  secured; 
and  be  a  General  never  so  brave,  if  he  be  unskilled  in  the 
arts  and  stratagems  of  war,  he  is  really  to  be  pitied ;  for  his 
bravery  will  but  serve  to  lead  him  into  those  wily  snares 
which  are  laid  for  him. 

3d. — Thirty-seven  recruits  going  to  Rogers,1  taken  the 
preceding  night,  were  brought  in ;  and  our  General  ordered 

1  Major  Robert  Rogers  (see  p.  74). 


1777]  97 

out  Capt.  Graham1  at  12  o'clock  at  night,  to  intercept  an 
other  gang. 

4th. — Gen.  Lincoln  arrived  from  Massachusetts ;  he  had 
come  on  with  a  body  of  militia. 

5th. — It  was  learnt  that  on  the  1st  inst.  Gen.  Putnam 
took  a  large  quantity  of  baggage,  provisions,  &c.  at  Bor- 
dentown ;  and  on  the  3d,  Gen.  Washington's  army  came  up 
with  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  at  or  near  Rocky  Hill,  when  a 
brisk  action  ensued,  and  the  enemy  were  defeated,  with  the 
loss  of  between  50  and  60  killed,  and  upwards  of  100  taken 
prisoners,  together  with  6  pieces  of  cannon,  and  all  their 
baggage :  the  Americans  had  6  men  killed.  The  same  day 
Col.  Sparhawk's  regiment  of  militia,  from  Massachusetts, 
with  two  field-pieces,  marched  for  King's  Ferry,  on  their 
way  to  the  Jersies. 

7th. — Our  General  received  the  following  letter  from 
Gen.  Washington: 

PLUCKEMIN,  Jan.  5th,  1777. 
"  SIR, 

We  have  made  a  successful  attack  upon  Princeton. 
General  Howe  advanced  upon  Trenton;  we  evacuated  the 
town,  and  lay  at  the  other  side  of  the  Mill  Creek  until 
dark;  then  stole  a  march,  and  attacked  Princeton  about  9 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  There  were  three  regiments  quar 
tered  there.  The  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners  taken, 
amounted  to  about  500.  The  enemy  are  in  great  consterna 
tion;  and  as  the  present  affords  us  a  favourable  opportu 
nity  to  drive  them  out  of  the  Jersies,  it  has  been  deter 
mined  in  Council,  that  you  should  move  down  towards 
New-York  with  a  considerable  force,  as  if  you  had  a  design 
upon  the  city;  that  being  an  object  of  great  importance, 
the  enemy  will  be  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  withdrawing 
a  considerable  part  of  their  force  from  the  Jersies,  if  not 
the  whole  to  secure  the  city.  I  shall  draw  the  force  on  this 

1  Probably  Capt.  John  Graham,  1st  New  York  (Died  May  7,  1832). 


98 

side  the  North  River  together  at  Morristown,  where  I  shall 
watch  the  motions  of  the  enemy,  and  avail  myself  of  every 
circumstance.  You  will  retain  4000  of  the  militia  coming 
on  from  the  New-England  Governments  for  the  expedition. 
You  will  act  with  great  precaution,  but  avail  yourself  of 
every  favourable  opportunity  of  attacking  the  enemy,  when 
you  can  do  it  to  advantage. 

Gen.  Lincoln  must  cross  the  North  River,  and  come  on 
with  the  remainder  of  the  militia  to  Morristown.  Leave  a 
sufficient  guard  at  the  Highlands. 

You  will  also  have  as  many  boats  collected  together, 
or  in  such  a  manner  as  you  may  always  avail  yourself  of 
them,  if  it  should  be  found  expedient  for  your  troops  or  any 
part  of  them  to  cross  the  North  River,  at  Dobbs'  Ferry,  or 
any  other  of  the  landings. 

I  am,  &c. 

(Signed)   GEO.  WASHINGTON. 
Gen.  HEATH." 

Preparations  for  the  before  mentioned  movement  were 
immediately  put  in  train.  The  militia  and  volunteers  were 
coming  in. 

8th. — Gen.  Parsons  went  down  to  King-street. 

9th. — The  remainder  of  Col.  Sparhawk's  and  Col.  Whit 
ney's  regiments  passed  over  the  river,  to  join  Gen.  WTash- 
ington. 

10th. — Col.  Frost's  regiment  marched  to  North  Castle, 
and  Gen.  Scott's  militia  to  White  Plains. 

llth. — A  number  of  British  officers,  taken  at  Princeton, 
passed  Peek's  Kill,  on  their  way  to  Connecticut.  The  same 
day  it  was  learnt,  that  on  the  8th,  Gen.  Maxwell,  with  the 
Jersey  militia,  and  some  continental  troops,  routed  the 
enemy  at  Elizabeth-Town,  where  he  took  50  Highlanders, 
a  schooner  loaded  with  baggage,  and  fell  in  with  a  party  of 
30  Waldeckers,  whom  he  also  took  prisoners. 

12th. — Gen.    Moulton1    from    Massachusetts,    and    Col. 

1  Johnson  Moulton,  Lieut.-Col.  7th  Continentals. 


99 

Oilman1  from  New  Hampshire,  came  to  camp.  A  number 
of  British  prisoners,  taken  in  the  Jersies,  passed  Peek's 
Kill,  on  their  way  to  Connecticut. 

13th. — Our  General  moved  to  the  south  ward,  and  reached 
North-Castle  just  before  sun-set,  where  he  found  part  of 
four  regiments  had  arrived,  and  Oen.  Scott's  militia  of 
New- York  had  moved  down  to  Wright's  Mills. 

14th. — Our  General  moved  to  King-street  to  Mr. 
Clap's — about  3000  militia  had  arrived,  and  Oen.  Lin 
coln's  division  marched  to  Tarrytown  on  this  day.  The 
Commander  in  Chief  in  another  letter  had  intimated  that 
Oen.  Lincoln,  instead  of  moving  on  to  join  him,  should 
stay  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  and  join  in  the  expedi 
tion. 

15th. — The  Connecticut  volunteers  marched  from  King- 
street  to  New  Kochelle,  and  Oen.  Scott's  brigade  to 
Stephen  Ward's.  Plenty  of  provisions  were  arriving.  A 
dieserter  came  in  from  the  enemy,  and  gave  an  account  of 
their  situation  and  numbers. 

17th. — At  night  the  three  divisions  began  to  move  to 
wards  Kingsbridge:  Oen.  Lincoln's  from  Tarrytown,  on 
the  Albany  road;  Generals  Wooster  and  Parsons's  from 
New  Rochelle  and  East-Chester,  and  Gen.  Scott's  in  the 
centre  from  below  White  Plains.  The  several  distances 
and  rate  of  marching  were  so  well  calculated,  that,  on  the 
18th,  just  before  sunrise,  the  three  divisions,  although  so 
far  apart,  arrived  at  the  out-posts  of  the  enemy  almost  at 
the  same  instant.  Gen.  Lincoln's  on  the  heights  above  Col. 
Van  Cortland's;  Wooster's  at  Williams' s2;  and  Scott's  on 
the  back  of  Valentine's.  Our  General,  who  moved  with 
the  centre  division,  knew  that  Valentine's  house  was  the 

1  This  may  have  been  either  David    Oilman,  who    was    a  colonel    of 
militia,  1776-77,  or  Nicholas   (1776-80). 

2  Williams'  Bridge,  a  part  of  the  town  of  West  Chester,  now  within 
the  Ne-fl  York  City  limits.    The  name  is  from  a  bridge  there  over  the 
Bronx  River.     The  Van  Courtlandt    house    is  still    standing,  east    of 
Yonkers,  in  Van  Courtlandt  Park. 


100 

quarters  of  one  of  the  guards ;  he  did  not  know  but  it  might 
be  defended :  as  he  approached  it,  he  ordered  Capt.  Lieut. 
Bryant  to  advance  a  field-piece  to  the  advance-guard,  and 
if  there  was  any  opposition  from  the  house,  to  cannonade 
it  immediately.  He  then  ordered  250  men  from  the  head 
of  the  column  (as  it  was  moving  on)  to  incline  to  the 
right,  and  by  a  double  step  to  push  into  the  hollow  be 
tween  the  house  and  the  fort,  to  cut  off  the  guard  who  were 
at  the  house,  in  case  they  should  run  towards  the  latter. 
At  this  instant,  two  light-horsemen  who  had  been  sent  out 
by  the  enemv  as  the  day  broke  to  reconnoitre  the  vicinity, 
came  unexpectedly  at  the  descent  of  a  hill,  plump  upon 
the  head  of  Wooster's  column.  They  attempted  to  turn 
about,  but  before  it  could  be  fully  effected,  a  field-piece 
was  discharged  at  them ;  one  of  them  was  pitched  from  his 
horse  and  taken  prisoner,  the  other  galloped  back  to  the 
fort,  holloing  as  he  passed,  "  The  rebels !  The  rebels !  "  This 
set  all  the  outguards  and  pickets  running  to  the  fort,  leav 
ing  in  some  places  their  arms,  blankets,  tools,  provisions, 
&c.  behind  them.  Those  who  fled  from  Valentine's  and  the 
Negro  Fort  were  fired  at  as  they  ran,  but  none  were  killed : 
one,  who  could  not  run  so  fast  as  the  rest,  was  taken  pris 
oner.  Ten  muskets  were  taken  at  Valentine's  house.  The 
guard  above  Van  Cortland's  was  as  completely  surprised 
as  the  others,  where  Gen.  Lincoln  took  about  40  arms, 
some  blankets,  &c.  &c.  The  left  and  centre  divisions  moved 
into  the  hollow,  between  Valentine's  house  and  the  fort, 
from  whence  our  General  immediately  sent  a  summons  to 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  fort  to  surrender.  The 
Commandant  of  the  fort,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  gar 
rison,  being  Hessians,  the  summons  held  out  to  these  gen 
erous  terms.  The  answer,  which  was  verbal,  was  a  refusal 
to  surrender.  A  detachment  with  two  field-pieces  was 
ordered  to  move  to  the  south  of  the  fort,  to  a  hill  above 
Haarlem  Creek,  not  far  from  the  New  Bridge.  When  the 
detachment  arrived  at  this  place,  a  battalion  of  Hessians 
appeared  drawn  up  on  the  side  of  the  hill  just  within  Kings- 


101 

bridge,  and  back  of  Hyatt's  tavern.  Our  General  ordered 
the  artillery  to  cannonade  them  immediately.  The  first 
shot  just  cleared  the  right  of  the  battalion,  nearly  a  pla 
toon  settling  down  as  the  shot  passed  them,  which  entered 
the  bank  close  behind  them.  The  second  shot  passed  about 
the  centre  of  the  battalion,  when  to  the  amount  of  a  grand 
division  settled  down,  which  was  an  evidence  that  they 
would  not  stand  much  longer.  One  of  the  pieces  was  or 
dered  to  be  drawn  lower  down  the  hill;  on  which  the  bat 
talion  quitted  their  ground,  and  marched  off  as  fast  as 
they  could  without  running,  to  get  behind  the  redoubt  and 
hill  at  the  bridge,  receiving  one  shot  more  as  they  were 
turning  round  the  point.  It  was  not  suspected  that  the 
enemy  had  any  cannon  in  the  redoubt  within  the  bridge, 
but  they  now  began  to  cannonade  the  artillery-men  who 
had  descended  the  hill,  who  had  to  draw  up  their  piece  as 
fast  as  possible,  which  they  effected  without  any  loss,  but 
received  three  or  four  shot  quite  among  them,  before  they 
could  reach  the  top  of  the  hill. 

This  success  at  the  out-posts  flew  through  the  country, 
and  was  soon  magnified  to  a  reduction  of  the  fort,  and  cap 
ture  of  the  garrison.  It  reached  Gen.  Washington  long  be 
fore  the  official  account,  and  he  had  communicated  the  re 
port  to  Congress ;  hence  a  double  disappointment,  when  the 
true  state  of  facts  was  received. 

19th. — The  enemy  cannonaded  from  the  fort,  and  killed 
one  American,  as  the  guards  were  relieving  at  the  Negro 
Fort.  It  was  determined  to  make  an  attempt  to  cut  off  the 
battalion  within  Kingsbridge,  early  the  next  morning,  by 
passing  a  strong  detachment  over  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek 
on  the  ice,  which,  however,  was  not  now  very  strong,  but 
the  weather  was  cold.  One  thousand  were  detached  for  the 
purpose;  but  the  weather  having  grown  warm  in  the  night, 
the  ice  was  judged,  by  the  unanimous  opinion  of  all  the 
General  Officers  on  the  ground,  to  be  too  hazardous  on  the 
morning  of  the  20th  to  venture  the  attempt.  On  this  day 
there  was  a  cannonade  on  both  sides,  and  the  enemy  on  the 


102 

island  side  were  thrown  into  much  confusion.  Our  Gen 
eral  observing  that  when  the  enemy  within  the  island  were 
cannonaded  across  Haarlem  Creek,  they  sheltered  them 
selves  behind  the  little  hill  near  the  bridge,  next  to  Spuy- 
ten  Duyvil  Creek,  on  this  afternoon  he  rode  round  on  to 
Tippit's  Hill1,  which  was  in  its  rear,  and  found  that  a  field- 
piece  drawn  up  on  that  side  would  leave  the  enemy  no  hid 
ing-place. 

21st. — A  cannonade  on  both  sides.  In  the  afternoon  a 
field-piece  was  hauled  up  to  Tippit's  Hill,  and  the  enemy 
were  cannonaded  both  in  front  and  rear :  they  were  thrown 
into  the  utmost  confusion :  some  secured  themselves  in 
their  redoubt,  others  under  the  banks :  some  lay  flat  on  the 
ground,  and  some  betook  themselves  to  the  cellars ;  so  that 
in  a  short  time  there  was  no  object  for  the  gunners.  The 
weather  had  now  grown  very  moderate. 

22d. — There  was  a  pretty  smart  skirmish  with  the  enemy 
near  the  fore.  This  day  our  General  ordered  a  number  or 
chandeliers,2  fascines,  &c.  to  be  made;  and  having  nothing 
but  light  field-pieces  with  him,  in  order  to  keep  up  an  ap 
pearance  of  a  serious  design  on  the  fort,  he  sent  to  North- 
Castle,  where  was  a  field  brass  24  pounder  and  some  how 
itzers,  to  bring  forward  the  former  and  one  of  the  latter. 

23d. — A  smart  skirmish  took  place  just  before  dusk,  in 
the  broken  ground  near  the  south  side  of  the  fort;  an  En 
sign  and  one  man  belonging  to  the  New- York  militia  were 
killed,  and  five  wounded;  the  loss  of  the  enemy  unknown, 
as  it  was  close  under  the  fort. 

24th.-— Excessive  stormy.  Gen.  Lincoln's  division,  who 
were  in  huts  in  the  woodte,  back  of  Col.  Van  Cort- 
land's,  were  obliged  to  quit  their  ground,  and  move  back 
into  the  houses  where  they  could  find  them ;  some  of  them 
as  far  as  Dobbs'  Ferry ;  with  the  loss  of  a  great  many  car- 

1  Tibbetts'  Hill  and  brook  are  not  far  from  Spuyten  Duyvil. 

2  Chandelier:    a  wooden  frame,  filled  with  fascines,    to    form    a  tra 
verse  in  sapping.— Farrow's  Military  Encyclopedia. 


103 

tridges,  from  the  badness  of  the  boxes.  The  fall  of  rain 
was  so  great  as  to  cause  a  great  fresh  in  the  Bronx,  the 
water  running  over  the  bridge  by  Williams's. 

25th. — Early  in  the  morning,  the  enemy  made  a  sally  to 
wards  Delancey's1  Mills,  where  they  surprised  and  routed 
the  guard,  wounding  several,  but  not  killing  or  taking  any 
of  them;  and  a  regiment  near  that  place  quitted  their 
quarters.  Emboldened  by  this  success,  about  10  o'clock, 
A.  M.  they  made  a  powerful  sally  towards  Valentine's,  in 
stantly  driving  the  guards  andi  pickets  from  the  Negro 
Fort  and  Valentine's  house;  pushing  on  with  great  impet 
uosity,  keeping  up  a  brisk  fire,  the  balls  passing  at  Wil- 
liams's  house  sufficiently  strong  to  do  execution.  The  re 
treating  guards  threw  themselves  into  the  old  redoubt  on 
the  north  side  of  the  road,  to  the  west  of  the  bridge;  on 
which  the  enemy  lined  a  strong  stone  wall,  a  few  rods  dis 
tant  to  the  southwest.  Two  regiments  of  the  militia  be 
ing  at  this  instant  formed  in  the  road  near  Willianas's,  and 
the  horses  in  the  limbers  of  the  field-pieces,  our  General 
ordered  Cap!;.  Bryant  to  ford  over  the  bridge  with  his 
piece,  and  the  militia  to  follow  and  cover  the  artillery. 
When  Capt.  Bryant  had  ascended  almost  to  the  top  of  the 
hill,  to  prevent  his  horses  being  shot  he  unlimbered,  and 
the  men  took  the  drag-ropes ;  but  the  ascent  of  the  hill  was 
such  that  they  were  obliged  to  drag  the  piece  almost  with 
in  pistol-shot,  before  the  ground  would  admit  the  piece  to 
be  so  depressed  as  to  bear  on  the  enemy.  The  moment  this 
was  effected,  a  round  shot  opened  a  breach  in  the  wall, 
four  or  five  feet  wide;  a  second  shot  in  less  than  a  minute 
opened  another,  when  the  enemy  fled  back  to  the  fort  with 
the  greatest  precipitation.  Of  the  Americans,  two  were 
killed  and  a  number  wounded. 

27th. — The  brass  24-pounder  and  howitzer  were  brought 
up,  and  ordered  to  open  upon  the  fort;  on  the  third  dis 
charge  of  the  former,  she  sprang  her  carriage;  nor  were 

1  De  Lancey's  Mills  were  in  what  is  now  Bronx  Park,  in  the  former 
town  of  West  Farms,  now  a  part  of  New  York  City. 


104 

there  any  live  shells  for  the  howitzer,  there  being  none  at 
North-Castle;  nor  was  a  regular  cannonade  or  bombard 
ment  of  the  fort  ever  contemplated.  Every  attempt  was 
now  made,  by  feint  and  otherwise,  to  draw  the  enemy  out 
of  the  fort.  A  detachment  was  sent  down  to  Morrisania, 
to  light  up  a  great  number  of  fires  in  the  night,  to  induce 
the  enemy  to  suppose  that  a  body  of  Americans  were  col 
lecting  at  that  place,  with  a  design  to  cross  on  to  New- 
York  Island,  at  or  near  Haarlem;  and  to  heighten  this, 
several  large  boats  were  sent  for,  and  brought  forward  on 
carriages.  The  British  guard  on  Montresor's  Island  were 
so  much  alarmed  at  this  as  to  set  the  buildings  on  fire,  and 
flee  to  New- York.  A  brigade  of  the  British  were  said  to 
have  moved!  towards  Fort  Washington;  and  orders  had 
been  sent  to  Khode  Island,  for  a  detachment  to  be  sent 
from  thence. 

29th. — There  was  the  appearance  of  a  severe  snow 
storm  coming  on,  when  all  the  General  Officers  on  the 
ground,  viz.  besides  our  General,  Lincoln,  Wooster,  Scott 
and  Ten  Broeck,  were  unanimously  of  the  opinion  that  the 
troops  ought  to  move  back  before  the  storm  came  on,  to 
places  where  they  could  be  covered  from  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather,  as  there  was  no  artillery  to  batter  the  fort. 
And  from  first  to  last  they  were  unanimously  opposed  to 
any  idea  of  an  assault  or  storm  of  the  fort  with  the  militia, 
the  principal  object  being  now  to  secure  and  bring  off 
or  destroy  the  forage,  which  could  be  as  well  done  where 
the  troops  con  Id  have  covering,  as  to  harass  them  in  the 
open  fields  by  multiplying  guards,  or  their  being  constantly 
exposed  in  the  scattered  houses  to  be  surprised  and  cut  off. 
For  these  several  reasons,  the  troops  were  ordered  as  soon 
as  it  grew  dark  to  move  back,  Gen.  Lincoln's  division  to 
Dobbs'  Ferry  and  Tarrytown,  Gen.  Wooster's  to  New 
Rochelle,  and  Gen.  Scott's  to  White  Plains ;  the  guards  to 
remain  at  their  posts  and  alert,  until  the  troops  were  all 
moved  off,  and  then  to  form  rear  guards  on  the  several 
roads,  following  the  troops  to  whom  they  respectively  be- 


105 

longed;  all  of  which  was  performed  in  good  order,  in  a 
very  heavy  fall  of  snow. 

30th. — The  storm  cleared  up,  when  15  ships,  1  brig,  2 
schooners,  and  2  sloops  came  to,  between  Heart1  and  City 
Islands ;  they  were  from  the  eastward,  and  were  supposed 
to  have  troops  on  board.  The  troops  on  this  expedition,  as 
it  was  called,  were  in  a  very  hazardous  situation,  and  had 
continued  in  it  from  the  morning  of  the  18th,  to  the  evening 
of  the  29th ;  they  were  entirely  a  body  of  militia,  except  a 
few  artillery-men.  So  apprehensive  of  this  being  a  critical 
situation  was  the  Commander  in  Chief,  in  the  year  1780, 
when  Gen.  {Sir.  Henry  Clinton  menaced  the  French  army 
at  Khode  Island,  and  had  embarked  his  troops  on  board 
transports  for  the  purpose  of  proceeding  to  that  place,  and 
Gen.  Washington  had  determined  to  move  down  towards 
Kingsb ridge  to  induce  Sir  Henry  to  give  up  his  design  by 
menacing  New- York,  our  General  being  then  at  Rhode  Is 
land  with  the  French  army,  Gen.  Washington  wrote  him 
on  the  31st  of  July  from  Robinson's  House  in  the  High 
lands — among  other  things,  "  You  know  the  critical  situ 
ation  in  which  this  army  will  be  in  a  position  below."  This 
was  undoubtedly  a  very  just  observation ;  but  if  the  Com 
mander  in  Chief,  with  the  whole  American  army  in  1780, 
well  armed  and  highly  disciplined,  should  so  justly  judge  at 
the  distance  of  30  miles  from  the  spot,  what  shall  we  say 
of  those  brave  militia  men  who  continued  in  the  position 
itself,  for  more  than  ten  days  in  the  midst  of  winter? 

Whenever  an  enterprise  is  to  be  attempted  in  the  teeth 
of  an  enemy,  it  should  be  a  dash  and  away. 

31st. — A  cordon  of  troops  was  ordered  to  be  formed,  to 
extend  from  Dobbs'  Ferry  to  Mamaroneck. 

February  1st. — Foraging  now  being  the  object,  a  large 
number  of  teams  were  sent  out  towards  Mamaroneck,  and 
upwards  of  SO  loads  of  forage  were  brought  off.  Twelve 

1  Hart's  Island  Is  just  below  City  Island  in  Long  Island  Sound. 


106 

more  ships,  4  of  which  were  of  40  guns,  came  down  the 
Sound  the  preceding  day. 

2d. — Col.  Humphries1,  of  New- York,  arrived  with  a  regi 
ment  of  militia  from  Albany  county,  to  continue  in  service 
six  weeks. 

3d. — There  was  another  grand  forage. 

6th. — A  strong  detachment  under  the  command  of  Col. 
Enos2  was  sent  toward  Fort  Independence,  to  attempt  to 
surprise  some  of  the  enemy's  out-posts,  but  nothing  could 
be  effected.  The  small-pox  was  now  making  its  appear 
ance  in  the  neighbourhood. 

8th. — There  was  a  grand  forage  to  the  lower  parts  of 
Westchester  county.  A  row-galley  and  a  sloop  were  com 
ing  up  the  North  Kiver.  The  covering  party  to  the  foragers 
on  this  day  was  nearly  1000  strong,  and  large  quantities 
of  forage  were  brought  off. 

10th. — Our  General  rode  to  Peek's  Kill,  where  he  arrived 
a  little  after  dark.  Gen.  Lincoln's  troops  were  on  their 
march  to  join  Gen.  Washington.  Our  General  had  ob 
tained  leave  of  the  Commander  in  Chief,  to  make  a  short 
visit  to  New -England,  under  an  injunction  to  return  very 
early. 

12th. — About  10  o'clock,  he  left  Peek's  Kill,  and  arrived 
at  his  house  in  Koxbury  on  the  19th,  about  sun-set. 

March  14£ft. — Our  General  set  out  from  Roxbury,  on  his 
way  back  to  the  army ;  but  before  he  had  got  to  AVatertown, 
an  express  overtook  him,  with  orders  from  Gen.  Washing 
ton,  for  him  to  take  command  of  the  Eastern  Department ; 
Gen.  Ward  having  applied  for  leave  to  resign  the  com 
mand,  meaning  to  retire  from  the  service:  he  therefore 
turned  back,  and  rode  into  Boston. 

This  year,  3777,  formed  an  important  era  in  the  annals 
of  America.  Congress  had  determined  to  make  great  ex 
ertions  to  drive  the  British  troops  from  America;  for  this 

1  Probably  William  Humphrey  of  the  5th  Dutchess  Co.  regiment. 

2  Roger  Enos,  Lieutenant-Col.  2d  Connecticut.  (Died  Oct.  6,  1808). 


107 

purpose,  they  had  ordered  88  battalions  to  be  raised  in  the 
United  States,  15  of  which  fell  to  the  share  of  Massachu 
setts.  Besides  the  foregoing  88  battalions,  they  also  or 
dered  the  raising  of  16  others,  called  the  additional  bat 
talions  ;  and  of  these,  three  were  raising  in  Massachusetts, 
viz.  Jackson's,  Lee's  and  Henley's;  besides  Armand's1 
Legion,  Artificers,  &c.  The  arming,  equipping  and  send 
ing  on  the  recruits — furnishing  the  Recruiting  Officers 
with  bounty  monies — and  the  forwarding  on  immense 
quantities  of  all  kinds  of  military  stores,  (for  Massachu 
setts  might  now  be  called  the  great  magazine  of  military 
stores  of  the  Union,  partly  on  account  of  her  own  re 
sources,  managed  by  the  indefatigable  industry  of  her 
Board  of  War) — and  the  arrivals  of  public  stores  here 
and  at  Portsmouth,  called  for  the  utmost  diligence  and  ex 
ertion  of  the  commanding  General.  The  Commander  in 
Chief  had  given  directions  for  the  troops  to  be  forwarded 
on,  with  all  possible  dispatch,  to  Ticonderoga. 

20th. — Maj.  Gen.  Ward  resigned  the  command  of  the 
Eastern  Department  to  our  General,  who  took  the  com 
mand  accordingly. 

23d. — A  detachment  of  British  troops,  consisting  as  was 
said  of  about  500  men,  destroyed  the  American  stores  at 
Peek's  Kill ;  they  met  with  but  very  little  opposition :  here 
our  General  lost  a  part  of  his  baggage,  which  was  left  when 
he  came  away  for  Boston,  in  February.  Monsieur  De 
Bore2,  a  French  General,  came  to  Boston :  he  had  been  en 
gaged  by  our  Ministers  in  France,  to  enter  the  American 
service,  &c. 

27th. — Our  General  received  orders  from  the  Comman 
der  in  Chief  to  make  an  alteration  in  the  destination  of  the 
Massachusetts  regiments,  sending  eight  of  the  regiments  to 
Peek's  Kill,  and  seven  to  Ticonderoga. 


1  The  French.  Colonel  Armand,  Marquis  de  la  Rouerie. 

2  Preudhomme    Deborre,    dismissed    for   insubordination    at    Brandy- 
wine. 


108 

31st. — Our  General  took  a  view  of  the  state  of  the  works 
at  Dorchester,  &c. 

April  3d. — Capt.  Sunnier,  of  Greaton's  regiment, 
marched  a  detachment  of  his  regiment  for  Peek's  Kill. 

4th. — A  part  of  Col.  Shepard's  regiment  marched  for 
Peek's  Kill. 

Tth. — Our  General  took  a  view  of  the  barracks  at  Pros 
pect  Hill,  preparatory  to  the  putting  of  the  recruits  under 
inoculation  with  the  small-pox. 

9th. — About  120  men  of  Paterson's1  regiment  marched 
for  Peek's  Kill. 

llth. — A  part  of  Nixon's  regiment  marched  for  Peek's 
Kill;  on  the  12th,  160  men  of  Bailey's  for  Ticonderoga; 
and  on  the  13th,  200  of  Wesson's2  for  the  latter  place.  The 
same  day,  began  to  inoculate  the  recruits  at  Prospect  Hill. 

15th. — Col.  Jackson's  Independent  Company  marched 
to  do  duty  at  Providence;  and  a  company  of  Col.  Crane's 
artillery  for  the  main  army. 

16th. — Two  hundred  men  of  Col.  Wigglesworth's3  regi 
ment  marched  for  Peek's  Kill.  The  same  evening,  our 
General  received  orders  from  Gen.  Washington  to  send  the 
troops  to  Peek's  Kill,  by  the  route  of  Kinderhook.  The 
same  day,  10  tons  of  powder  arrived  at  Boston,  from 
Portsmouth,  (N.  H.) 

A  second  division  of  recruits  for  Bailey's4  regiment 
marched  for  Ticonderoga,  as  did  a  division  from  Col. 
Bradford's  for  the  same  place. 

20th. — A  large  letter-of -marque  ship  arrived  at  Boston 
from  Nantz5  in  France,  with  a  valuable  cargo  on  private 
account. 

23d. — An  express  from  Portsmouth  brought  an  account 
of  the  arrival  at  that  place  of  the  French  ship  Amphitrite, 


1  Col.  John  Paterson   of    Mass,     (afterwards    brigadier-general — died 
July  19,  1808). 

2  James  Wesson,  Col.  9th  Mass.  (Died  Oct.  15,  1809.) 

3  Edward  Wigglesworth,  13th  Mass. 

4  Col.  John  Bailey  (Mass.)  23d  Continentals  (Died  May  12,  1820). 

5  Nantes. 


109 

having  on  board  52  brass  field-pieces,  completely  mounted, 
with  apparatus ;  6132  muskets ;  120  barrels  of  powder,  and 
many  other  articles. 

24th. — A  second  division  of  Col.  Crane's  artillery 
marched  for  the  army. 

28th. — A  division  of  Wesson's  regiment  marched  for 
Ticonderoga. 

29th. — An  express  arrived  from  Gov.  Trumbull,  giving 
an  account  that  the  enemy  had  landed  a  body  of  men  near 
Fairfield,  and  that  a  number  of  ships  were  standing  up 
Hudson's  River.  This  body  of  the  enemy  consisted  of 
about  2000;  they  landed  on  the  25th  at  Fairfield,  and 
pushed  for  Danbury,  where  the  Americans  had  magazines 
of  stores,  which  the  British  burnt  and  destroyed.  Gen 
erals  Wooster  and  Arnold  were  in  that  part  of  Connecti 
cut;  they  assembled  the  militia  of  the  vicinity,  and  at 
tacked  the  British  on  their  return;  and  there  were  several 
very  sharp  skirmishes,  at  and  near  Ridgefield,  in  one  of 
which  the  brave  Gen.  Wooster  fell;  and  Gen.  Arnold  hav 
ing  his  horse  shot  down  under  him,  by  a  soldier  who  was 
very  near  him,  and  who  was  following  up  his  shot  with  his 
bayonet  charged,  Arnold  catched  one  of  his  pistols  from 
the  holsters  on  the  slain  horse,  and  instantly  shot  the 
soldier  dead  on  the  spot.  The  loss  was  considerable  on 
both  sides,  in  killed  and  wounded:  the  British  say  theirs 
did  not  exceed  172,  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  The  loss 
to  the  Americans  in  stores,  &c.  was  considerable,  and  could 
but  illy  be  spared  at  that  time. 

May  5th.—  Col.  Jackson's  Independent  Company  re 
turned  from  doing  duty  at  Providence. 

14th. — Gen.  Du  Coudray1,  an  experienced  French  artil 
lery  officer,  engaged  by  our  Commissioners  in  France  to 
act  at  the  head  of  the  American  artillery,  arrived  at  Bos 
ton  :  on  viewing,  from  Beacon  Hill,  the  situation  of  Boston, 
and  the  American  works  around  the  town,  he  made  a  laugh 

IP.  C.  J.  B.  Du  Coudray  (see  p.  128). 


110 

at  the  British  leaving  the  town  when  under  no  greater  dan 
ger;  adding  that  the  force  which  they  had  might  have  de 
fended  the  place  against  an  army  of  50,000  men.  A  valu 
able  prize,  loaded  with  dry  goods,  was  sent  into  Newbury- 
port. 

21st. — The  Continental  frigates,  and  a  fleet  of  private 
ships  of  war,  sailed  on  a  cruise,  with  a  fair  wind. 

28th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  a  detachment  of 
Americans,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Meigs,1  of  Con 
necticut,  had  passed  the  Sound  on  the  23d  to  Long  Island, 
and  crossed  to  Sag  Harbour,  where  they  destroyed  and 
burnt  a  number  of  vessels  at  the  wharf,  and  every  thjng 
on  shore,  and  brought  off  80  or  90  prisoners.  This  enter 
prise  was  conducted  with  much  address  and  great  expedi 
tion. 

29th. — A  prize  brig  was  sent  in,  laden  with  salt,  cordage, 
&c.  She  was  from  Topsham  in  England.  No  reinforce 
ment  for  the  army  in  America  had  sailed  the  last  of 
March. 

June  8th. — Two  prizes  were  sent  in;  one  laden  with 
coals,  the  other  with  dry  goods. 

9th. — A  50  gun  ship  of  the  enemy,  and  two  frigates 
were  cruising  in  our  bay. 

14th. — A  prize  taken  by  Commodore  Manly,  laden  with 
duck,  cordage,  &c.  and  two  brigs  from  Bilbao,  arrived 
safe. 

July  1st. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  Gen.  Howe 
evacuated  Brunswick2  on  the  18th  of  the  preceding  month ; 
he  had  before  advanced  as  far  as  Somerset  court-house, 
and  had  thrown  up  a  number  of  works,  which  he  aban 
doned  ;  the  American  light  troops  harassed  his  rear.  This 
day,  four  of  the  enemy's  cruisers  came  so  near  in,  as  to  be 
discovered  from  Nantasket. 

1  Return  Jonathan  Meigs,  afterwards  distinguished  at  Stony  Point. 

2  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. 


Ill 

4th. — The  anniversary  of  the  Independence  of  the  Uni 
ted  States  was  celebrated  with  proper  demonstrations  of 
joy. 

6th. — An  express  arrived  from  Peek's  Kill,  with  intelli 
gence  from  Gen.  Washington,  intimating  that  on  the 
morning  of  the  1st  inst.  the  enemy's  fleet  which  lay  at  Am- 
boy  sailed  round  that  town ;  and  that  the  troops  who  lay 
encamped  opposite  to  the  town,  struck  their  tents  and 
marched  off.  The  enemy  were  also  advancing  on  the  Lake 
with  their  fleet  towards  Ticonderoga.  A  detachment  of 
soldiers  for  Col.  M.  Jackson's1  regiment  marched  for  the 
northern  army. 

Tth. — Capt.  Cluston2  arrived  from  France  with  powder, 
arms,  &c.  for  the  State;  he  had  also  made  a  successful 
cruise. 

llth. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  the  Americans 
evacuated  Ticonderoga  on  the  6th,  at  night;  a  great  many 
stores,  &c.  were  lost.  The  British  no  sooner  arrived  be 
fore  Ticonderoga,  than  they  were  discovered  on  Mount 
Hope:  this  steep  and  rugged  hill  was  thought  to  be  inac 
cessible  by  the  Americans,  at  least  with  artillery;  and 
therefore,  notwithstanding  its  nearness  to  the  works,  and 
overlooking  of  them  in  part,  it  was  not  taken  possession  of ; 
but  they  should  have  recollected  what  had  been  said  by  the 
late  King  of  Prussia,  as  to  such  positions — that  "where 
a  goat  can  go,  a  man  may  go ;  and  where  a  man  can  go,  ar 
tillery  may  be  drawn  up."  The  British  were  no  sooner  seen 
on  this  hill,  where  the  wily  Phillips  of  the  artillery  is  said 
to  have  ascended,  than  they  saw  an  additional  reason  for 
quitting  the  post.  This  was  a  sore  and  heavy  loss  to  the 
Americans;  but  in  the  issue  proved  a  more  certain  and 
earlier  overthrow  of  all  Burgoyne's  army:  yet  so  exasper 
ated  were  the  people  at  the  time,  that  had  the  commanding 

1  Michael  Jackson,  8th  Mass. 

2  There    were    two    Capts.    Clouston,    Thomas    and    John    from    Mas 
sachusetts     and  New  York    respectively.      It  is  impossible  to  decide 
which  of  them  is  referred  to.    Each  was  a  privateersman. 


112 

General,  St.  Clair,  been  immediately  brought  to  trial,  he 
would  have  stood  but  a  poor  chance:  he  was  afterwards 
tried  and  acquitted  with  honour.  The  British  took  posses 
sion  of  the  works,  and  pushed  on  rapidly  after  the  Ameri 
cans,  taking  and  destroying  every  thing  that  fell  in  their 
way.  Brig.  Gen.  Fraser,  with  the  light  troops,  pursued 
with  great  ardour,  and  on  the  7th  came  up  with  a  body  of 
the  Americans,  commanded  by  the  brave  Col.  Francis,1  of 
Massachusetts.  A  warm  action  ensued;  the  Americans 
were  worsted ;  the  Colonel  was  slain,  and  many  other  offi 
cers  and  soldiers  killed,  wounded  and  taken  prisoners. 
This  flew  through  the  country  like  a  shock  of  electricity, 
and  roused  the  people  to  noble  exertions.  Gen.  St.  Clair 
joined  Gen.  Schuyler  at  Fort  Edward  after  a  fatiguing  re 
treat.  On  the  10th,  a  most  conspicuous  piece  of  gallantry 
was  exhibited  at  Khode  Island.  Maj.  Gen.  Prescott  having 
command  of  the  British  troops  at  that  place,  Col.  Barton2 
of  Providence  formed  a  resolution  to  surprise  and  take 
him ;  he  accordingly  proceeded  to  the  island  with  a  party  of 
chosen  men  in  two  boats  with  muffled  oars,  taking  with 
him  a  negro  man  whose  hard  head  was  nearly  as  efficacious 
as  a  beetle,  to  burst  a  door ;  and  on  this  night  with  great 
address  evading  the  British  water-guards,  passed  down 
the  west  side  of  the  island,  and  landed  near  a  hollow 
ground,  and  instantly  pushed  for  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Over- 
ing,  where  the  General  was  quartered.  The  centinel  at  the 
door  was  seized,  the  house  entered  and  demand  made 
whether  the  General  was  there;  and  finding  that  he  was, 
and  the  apartment,  the  door  was  burst  open  and  the  Gen 
eral  and  his  Aid-de-camp  seized,  and  told  they  must  go  off 
instantly.  The  General  asked  if  he  might  put  on  his 
clothes.  The  Colonel  answered,  "very  few,  and  very  quick, 
Sir."  The  Colonel  returned  to  his  boats,  and  repassed  the 


1  Ebenezer  Francis,  llth  Mass.     This  was    the    battle    of    Hubbard- 
ton. 

2  William  Barton  of  Stanton's  regiment  of  R.  I.  militia     (Died    Oct 
22,  1S31). 


113 

water-guards,  which  the  General  had  much  confidence 
would  have  released  him;  for  on  passing  the  last,  he  ob 
served  to  the  Colonel,  "  Sir,  I  did  not  think  it  possible  you 
could  escape  the  vigilance  of  the  water-guards."  This  was 
a  brilliant  affair ;  and  Congress  duly  rewarded  Col.  Barton 
for  his  distinguished  address  and  gallantry. 

13th. — An  express  arrived  from  Gen.  Washington,  with 
information  that  the  British  were  preparing  their  trans 
ports  for  the  embarkation  of  their  troops  from  Staten  Is 
land,  were  fixing  berths  for  the  light-horse,  &c.  but  their 
destination  could  not  be  developed.  They  had  pushed  into 
the  Jersies,  as  if  designing  to  march  to  Philadelphia,  and 
then  turned  back,  as  has  been  mentioned,  from  Amboy,  and 
were  now  preparing  to  embark ;  and  we  shall  anon  see  more 
of  their  manoeuvres  and  deceptions. 

16th. — A  number  of  Americans,  who  had  left  the  north 
ern  army  when  it  retreated,  as  is  generally  the  case  on  sim 
ilar  occasions,  came  to  Boston;  they  were  immediately 
taken  up  and  confined,  to  be  sent  back  again:  the  best 
method  in  like  cases. 

19th. — At  evening  an  express  passed  through  Boston,  on 
his  way  to  Philadelphia,  with  dispatches  which  had  been 
brought  to  Portsmouth,  (N.H.)  by  a  vessel  in  42  days'  pas 
sage  from  France.  It  was  said  that  there  was  great  prob 
ability  of  an  immediate  war  between  France  and  Eng 
land. 

21st. — By  intelligence  from  Peek's  Kill  it  was  learnt, 
that  on  the  preceding  Wednesday  10  pieces  of  cannon  were 
shipped  for  Albany ;  that  a  division  of  the  American  army 
was  opposite  to  Fishkill;  and  that  Gen.  Washington  was 
moving  towards  King's  Ferry  with  the  main  army,  said  to 
be  20,000  strong,  with  near  800  waggons,  and  having  a 
number  of  flat- bottomed  boats  on  carriages,  &c. 

26th. — Count  Pulaski,  a  Polish  nobleman,  came  to  Bos 
ton,  and  dined  at  head-quarters. 

August  1st. — Information  was  sent  from  Cape  Ann, 
that  a  fleet  of  vessels,  said  to  be  near  100,  had  been  seen 


114 

from  the  high  lands,  standing  to  the  northward.  This 
caused  some  alarm :  the  guards  at  the  magazines,  &c.  were 
doubled. 

4th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Gen.  Washington 
was  moving  with  the  main  army  towards  Philadelphia,  and 
had  detached  Gen.  Glover  with  his  brigade  to  join  the 
northern  army.  An  account  was  received  that  there  had 
been  a  skirmish  on  Wood  Creek,  between  a  party  of  the 
Americans  and  the  enemy,  to  the  advantage  of  the  former. 

6th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  American  north 
ern  army  had  fallen  back  to  Saratoga.  About  this  time,  a 
party  of  the  enemy  landed  on  Boston  Neck  (so  called)  in 
Rhode  Island:  they  were  driven  off  without  doing  much 
damage.  The  same  day  intelligence  was  received,  that  on 
the  23d  of  the  preceding  month  the  British  fleet  sailed  from 
Sandy  Hook,  and  had  arrived  off  the  Capes  of  Delaware. 

8th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  the  British  fleet 
sailed  out  of  the  Capes  of  Delaware  on  the  31st  ult.  stand 
ing  to  the  eastward.  This  induced  Gen.  Washington  to 
retrograde  the  main  American  army  towards  the  North 
River. 

llth. — There  was  a  report  that  the  northern  army  had 
fallen  back  to  Stillwater.  One  sixth  part  of  the  militia  in 
a  number  of  counties  of  Massachusetts  were  ordered  to 
be  detached  and  marched  immediately  to  reinforce  the 
northern  army. 

14th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  British  fleet 
had  returned  again  to  the  Capes  of  Delaware.  Col.  John 
son  and  St.  Leger  were  advancing  with  a  body  of  the 
enemy  towards  Fort  Schuyler,  on  the  Mohawk  River. 

About  this  time,  a  Miss  M'Crea,  said  to  be  a  beautiful 
young  lady,  and  in  all  the  innocence  of  youth,  her  father 
warmly  engaged  on  the  side  of  the  British,  and  she  on  the 
very  point  of  marriage  with  a  British  officer,  on  some  dis 
pute  between  two  Indians,  as  to  which  of  them  she  of  right 
belonged  as  a  captive,  was  most  inhumanly  massacred! 
The  act  was  probably  as  abhorrent  to  the  British  as  to  the 


115 

Americans;  but  they  ought  not  to  have  engaged  the  sava 
ges  in  their  cause,  as  they  might  well  have  known  their 
ungovernable  temper,  and  disposition  for  blood;  for  this 
was  not  the  only  instance — a  British  officer  sending  his 
waiter  to  a  spring  for  some  cool  water,  in  a  few  minutes  an 
Indian  came  in,  with  the  scalp  of  the  waiter  smoking  in 
his  hand. 

St.  Leger  having  gone  up  the  Mohawk  to  reduce  Fort 
Schuyler,  Gen.  Burgoyne  determined  to  send  out  another 
strong  detachment  on  his  left,  towards  Bennington.  The 
command  of  this  detachment  was  given  to  Lieut.  Col. 
Baum,  a  Hessian ;  and  Col.  Breyman,  with  another  detach 
ment,  was  ordered  to  cover  and  support  Baum.  These  were 
met  by  the  brave  Gen.  Stark,  who  gave  them  a  complete 
overthrow.  On  the  morning  of  the  16th,  32  officers  and 
near  700  men  were  taken  prisoners,  with  4  light  field- 
pieces,  nearly  1000  arms,  a  quantity  of  baggage,  &c.  The 
Americans  were  said  to  have  had  about  25  men  killed :  the 
loss  of  the  enemy  in  killed  was  judged  to  be  near  200.  Fort 
Schuyler  was  closely  besieged  by  St.  Leger ;  and  the  brave 
Col.  Herkimer,  with  the  Tryon  county  militia,  was  march 
ing  to  its  relief.  St.  Leger  learning  his  advance,  drew  off  a 
large  part  of  his  besieging  troops,  to  meet  and  give  him 
battle,  before  he  got  near  the  fort :  the  battle  was  obstinate, 
and  the  militia  behaved  with  great  bravery,  but  were  at 
length  defeated;  their  brave  Colonel  and  many  of  the  mi 
litia  were  slain :  it  was  said  that  the  action  lasted  5  or  6 
hours.  Matters  now  appearing  more  serious  in  this  quar 
ter,  Gen.  Arnold  marched  with  a  sufficient  detachment  to 
raise  the  siege.  As  soon  as  St.  Leger  learnt  his  approach, 
he  sent  off  some  Indians,  as  if  friends,  to  meet  Arnold  and 
inform  him  that  St.  Leger  had  received  a  strong  reinforce 
ment,  and  advise  Arnold  to  halt  and  wait  for  a  reinforce 
ment  himself— then  abandoned  the  siege  with  precipita 
tion,  leaving  his  tents  standing,  his  baggage,  artillery,  &c. 
behind  him.  Thus  were  both  Burgoyne's  wings  effectually 
clipped. 


116 

September  1st. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  after 
much  manoeuvring,  Howe's  fleet  came  to  anchor  in  Chesa- 
peak  Bay,  on  the  21st  ult.  consisting  of  near  200  sail,  and!  it 
was  expected  that  he  would  soon  land  his  troops.  The 
24th,  Gen.  Washington's  army  was  on  full  march  to  meet 
Howe  and  tlien  within  5  miles  of  Philadelphia.  A  valuable 
cargo  arrived  safe  from  Spain;  among  other  articles,  a 
large  number  of  shoes,  hose,  blankets,  shirts,  cordage, 
duck,  &c. 

2d. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  Gen.  Howe's  army 
had  landed  at  the  Head  of  Elk.  A  detachment  from  i >en. 
Sullivan's  division  a  little  before  this  time  made  an  excur 
sion  on  to  Staten  Island,  and  brought  off  several  hundred 
prisoners,  and  a  large  quantity  of  baggage.  The  Ameri 
can  loss  was  said  to  be  about  60,  including  officers. 

5th. — Four  hundred  and  one  prisoners,  taken  near  Ben- 
nington  by  Gen.  Stark,  were  escorted  to  Boston ;  they  con 
sisted  of  British,  Brunswick  and  Canadian  troops. 

9th. — Capt.  Harden1  arrived  at  Boston  in  a  Connecticut 
State  ship  of  20  guns :  he  brought  in  with  him  a  Jamaica 
packet,  which  he  took  during  his  cruise.  It  was  said  the 
packet  had  a  large  sum  in  specie  on  board ;  and  a  Mr.  Shir 
ley  and  family,  on  their  passage  to  England.  The  last  ac 
counts  stated  both  Gen.  Washington's  and  the  northern 
army  to  be  near  the  enemy;  and  important  news  might  be 
momently  expected. 

19th. — Col.  Lee's2  regiment  moved  int°  Boston. 

20th. — The  disagreeable  news  was  received,  that  on  the 
llth  inst.  a  severe  action  took  place  between  Gen.  Wash 
ington's  and  Howe's  armies,  near  the  Brandywine,  which 
ended  rather  in  favour  of  the  latter,  who  remained  masters 
of  the  field.  The  British  here,  as  in  several  other  instances, 
had  recourse  to  stratagem :  they  held  out  the  appearance 

1  Capt.   Jonathan   Haraden     (1745-1803) — see    Maclay's     "  History    of 
American  Privateers." 

2  William   R.   Lee  of  the    Additional    Continentals.     (Died    Oct     26, 
1824). 


117 

of  an  intention  of  forcing  their  way  at  Chad's  Ford,  which 
Gen.  Knyphausen  menaced  with  a  heavy  column  of  Hes 
sians;  while  the  British  column,  by  a  long  circuitous 
march,  reached  the  forks  of  the  river,  and  there  secured  a 
safe  passage.  Gen.  Washington  was  pretty  early  apprised 
of  this  movement,  and  immediately  took  measures 
for  strengthening  his  right,  by  ordering  some  troops 
from  his  left.  After  the  action  had  become  pretty 
warm  on  the  right,  and  the  British  had  got  the 
advantage,  Knyphausen  passed  Chad's  Ford;  and  al 
though  the  troops  who  were  still  on  the  left  behaved 
well,  they  were  by  no  means  sufficient  to  resist  the  heavy 
column  of  Hessians.  It  is  said  that  after  the  Hessian 
Grenadiers  had  crossed  the  Ford,  they  halted  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  below  the  Americans,  under  a  warm  fire,  and 
with  great  deliberation  changed  their  hats  for  their  heavy 
brass  caps,  which  they  carried  by  a  loop  on  a  button  at  the 
hip,  and  then  ascended  the  hill,  from  which  the  Americans 
were  obliged  to  retire.  Here  the  brave  Capt.  Bryant,  of  the 
artillery,  who  had  before  several  times  distinguished  him 
self  under  the  eye  of  our  General,  received  a  musket-ball 
in  the  bottom  of  his  belly;  a  brother  officer  carried  him  off 
the  field,  but  he  died  of  the  wound.  Gen.  Washington, 
seconded  by  his  officers,  did  everything  in  their  power  to 
check  the  British ;  and  a  part  of  the  American  army  took 
a  position  which  probably  saved  the  army  from  a  total  de 
feat.  Perhaps  the  American  army  were,  more  or  less, 
more  generally  engaged  in  this  action  than  in  any  other 
during  the  war.  The  American  loss  was  considerable  in 
killed  and  wounded,  and  a  number  of  pieces  of  brass  field 
artillery  were  lost.  The  British  also  suffered  pretty  se 
verely  in  killed  and  wounded. 

The  next  night,  Gen.  Grey1  made,  with  much  secrecy,  an 
attack  on  a  body  of  Americans,  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  Wayne :  the  bayonet  was  chiefly  made  use  of,  and  it 

1  This  was  Grey,  the  "  no  flint  general."    The  scene  was  Paoli,  Pa. 


118 

proved  but  too  efficacious  against  the  Americans,  who  suf 
fered  considerable  loss,  in  killed  and  wounded.  Gen. 
Washington  letreated  first  to  Philadelphia,  and  then  left 
the  city.  The  British  army  a  few  days  afterwards  ad 
vanced  to  Germantown,  and  on  the  27th  a  detachment  of 
their  army  took  possession  of  Philadelphia. 

23d. — Gen.  Washington's  orders  for  sending  forward 
Colonels  Lee,  Henley  and  Jackson's  regiments,  were  re 
ceived  by  our  General. 

24th. — Several  prizes  were  sent  in  by  a  privateer  brig  be 
longing  to  Col.  Sears. 

25th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  on  Friday,  the 
19th  instant,  there  was  a  warm  and  bloody  action  between 
Gen.  Gates's  and  Burgoyne's  advanced  troops,  which 
lasted  until  dark.  The  troops  behaved  with  the  greatest 
bravery  on  both  sides.  Col.  Morgan's  light  corps,  and 
eleven  other  American  regiments  were  more  or  less  en 
gaged.  Of  the  Americans,  2  Lieutenant-Colonels,  Coburn1 
and  Adams,  3  Captains,  3  Subalterns,  and  56  non  com 
missioned  officers  and  privates  were  killed,  and  248 
wounded.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  very  considerable, 
and  much  greater  than  that  of  the  Americans.  On  the  18th, 
the  day  preceding  the  foregoing  battle,  Col.  Brown2  made 
an  excursion  in  the  enemy's  rear  to  Lake  George;  made 
293  of  the  enemy  prisoners:  retook  100  Americans:  he 
also  took  near  100  batteaux,  several  large  gun-boats,  an 
armed  sloop,  &c. — took  possession  of  the  French  lines  (so 
called)  at  Ticonderoga,  and  summoned  Fort  Independence 
to  surrender. 

27th. — Col.  Crafts'  regiment  of  State  artillery  marched 
out  of  Boston,  with  4  light  field-pieces  and  an  eight-inch 
howitzer,  towards  Providence,  on  a  secret  expedition,  as 
it  was  called. 

1  Lieut.-Cols.  Wdnborne  Adams,  2d  N.  H.,  and    Andrew    Colburn,    3d 
N.  H. 

2  Lieut.-Col.  John   Brown,   Berkshire  militia,  Arnold's   accuser    after 
wards  killed  at  Stone  Arabia,  N.  Y. 


119 

29th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  several  valuable 
prizes  had  been  sent  into  Dartmouth. 

October  2d. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  on  the  1 6th, 
Gen.  Du  Coudray  was  drowned  in  the  Schuylkill ;  he  rode 
into  the  ferry-boat  at  one  end,  but  was  not  able  to  com 
mand  his  horse,  who  went  out  at  the  other  end  of  the  boat, 
plunging  into  the  river.  This  officer,  as  before  mentioned, 
was  engaged  to  come  to  America  to  take  command  of  the 
artillery ;  but  whatever  may  have  been  his  talents,  the  ar 
tillery  was  so  well  commanded  that  the  placing  a  foreign 
officer  over  them,  in  such  a  manner,  and  whose  rank  would 
also  have  soared  above  many  other  officers  in  the  line, 
would  most  certainly  have  produced  a  convulsion  in  the 
army,  had  it  been  persisted  in.  This  circumstance  pre 
vented  the  danger.  The  same  day  Col.  Lee's  regiment 
marched  for  the  main  army. 

6th. — Col.  H.  Jackson's  regiment  encamped  on  Boston 
common,  and  the  next  day,  about  noon,  marched  out  of 
town  for  the  army ;  the  regiment,  although  small,  made  a 
good  appearance.  About  the  same  time  that  the  regiment 
inarched  out  of  town,  upwards  of  100  British  and  Cana 
dian  prisoners,  taken  near  Lake  George,  by  Col.  Brown, 
marched  in. 

8th. — It  was  learnt  that  a  body  of  the  enemy,  said  to  be 
about  3000,  were  moving  from  New-York  towards  Peek's 
Kill.  Gen.  Washington,  after  he  left  Philadelphia,  en 
camped  near  a  place  called  Skippack  Creek,  about  16  miles 
from  German  town. 

13th. — At  3  o'clock  A.  M.  an  express  arrived  from  Gen. 
Gates's  army,  with  an  account  that  on  Tuesday,  the  7th 
inst.  a  smart  action  took  place  between  the  right  of  Gen. 
Burgoyne's  army  and  the  American  left,  when  the  enemy 
were  repulsed,  drove  back  to  their  works,  and  then  forced 
from  them.  Three  Field-Officers,  6  Captains,  10  Subalt 
erns,  1  Quarter-Master-General,  and  190  privates  were 
taken  prisoners,  besides  300  taken  in  the  hospital — 8  pieces 
of  brass  cannon,  2  twelve  and  6  six  pounders,  3  ammuni- 


120 

tion  wagons,  300  tents,  200  barrels  of  flour,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  baggage  were  trophies  of  the  victory.  One 
hundred  of  the  enemy  lay  dead  on  the  ground.  The  Ameri 
can  loss,  although  not  exactly  known,  was  said  not  to  be 
more  than  30  killed  and  100  wounded;  among  the  latter, 
Generals  Arnold  and  Lincoln,  both  in  the  leg,  the  former 
but  slightly;  it  was  problematical  whether  the  latter  was 
wounded  by  a  British  or  American  soldier.  Gen.  Fraser, 
an  enterprising  officer  of  the  British,  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  died  of  his  wounds. 

15th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  a  body  of  rhe 
British  from  New- York,  in  about  30  transports,  had  pro 
ceeded  up  the  Hudson;  they  had  made  several  landings  be 
low  and  at  Peek's  Kill :  on  Monday,  the  6th,  they  crossed 
over,  landed  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  marched 
along  the  hills  towards  Fort  Montgomery  and  its  depend 
encies  :  this  fort  was  tolerably  situated  on  the  bank  of  the 
Hudson,  to  annoy  shipping  going  up  the  river;  and  the 
works  were  pietty  good  on  that  side,  but  were  not  so,  nor 
fully  completed  on  the  back  side ;  and  the  right  flank  was 
commanded  by  higher  ground  on  the  south,  and  near  the 
fort,  on  the  other  side  of  Pooplop's1  Creek,  the  mouth  of 
which  was  near  to  the  south  side  of  the  fort ;  on  this  higher 
ground,  and  near  to  the  small  deep  pond,  a  strong  redoubt, 
called  Clinton,  was  erected;  it  was  equally  essential  that 
this  redoubt  should  be  taken,  as  a  reduction  of  the  fort :  ihe 
Brtish  therefore  moved  against  this  redoubt,  while  an 
other  column,  by  a  more  circuitous  movement,  fell  in  the 
rear  of  Fort  Montgomery;  they  were  met  in  the  defiles, 
where  the  skirmishes  were  sharp;  but  they  continued  to  ad 
vance  to  the  redoubt,  which  was  nobly  defended,  and  before 
which  they  sustained  very  considerable  loss,  (a  number  of 
their  slain  \yere  afterwards  drawn  out  of  the  pond,  where 
they  had  been  thrown  for  concealment)  but  soon  carried 
it,  and  afterwards  Fort  Montgomery.  The  garrison  prin- 


1  Now  spelled  Peploop's  or  Peploap's. 


121 

cipally  made  their  escape  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening; 
among  them  were  Gov.  Clinton  and  his  brother,  who  was 
a  Brigadier  General  also:  they  made  their  escape  in  a  very 
hazardous  manner,  and  the  latter  was  wounded.  After  the 
reduction  of  Fort  Montgomery,  the  Americans  evacuated 
Fort  Constitution  and  the  block-house  on  Constitution  Is 
land,  opposite  to  West-Point  (the  latter  was  not  yet  forti 
fied;)  and  two  new  frigates,  Congress  and  Montgomery , 
which  lay  in  the  river,  were  set  on  fire  by  the  Americans 
and  burnt.  The  enemy  afterwards  proceeded  up  the  river, 
and  burnt  Esopus;  their  object  was  if  possible  to  form  a 
junction  with  Burgoyne,  or  open  a  water  communication 
to  Albany ;  and  spies  passed  between  them. 

16th. — Two  or  three  of  the  enemy's  cruisers  appeared  in 
the  bay,  but  a  few  leagues  from  the  Light.  While  the  Brit 
ish  army  lay  encamped  at  Gerrnantown,  Gen.  Washington 
resolved  to  attack  them.  This  was  a  brave  design ;  and  the 
success  of  the  first  onset,  at  about  3  o'clock,  A.  M.  of  the  4th 
inst.  after  the  Americans  had  marched  all  the  night,  was 
equal  to  the  design ;  for  the  British,  where  the  attack  was 
first  made,  were  almost  instantly  pushed  from  their 
ground,  and  were  falling  back  panic  struck  on  their  other 
troops,  when  Lieut.  Col.  Musgrave  had  the  presence  of 
mind  to  throw  several  companies  into  a  strong  stone  house. 
Houses  at  all  times,  and  especially  those  of  stone  and  brick, 
under  a  judicious  conduct,  admit  of  a  good  defence ;  and  at 
this  time  probably  proved  the  means  of  the  Americans  los 
ing  an  advantage,  which  no  one  can  tell  how  far  it  might 
have  been  pushed.  When  an  enemy  is  routed,  and  panic- 
struck  are  flying  before  the  assailants,  the  best,  if  not  the 
only  way  is  to  follow  them,  if  the  ground  will  permit  of  it, 
close  at  their  heels,  taking  care  not  to  fall  into  ambuscades. 
Thus  the  panic  of  fear  continues  to  multiply;  but  if  the 
pursuers  stop,  and  especially  if  those  who  were  flying  hear 
a  firing  behind  them,  but  not  upon  them,  they  conclude 
that  their  o\vu  troops  in  turn  have  gotten  an  advantage,  or 
at  least  are  holding  their  pursuers  at  bay.  This  immedi- 


122 

ately  recovers  them  from  their  panic;  they  will  next  re 
turn  to  the  charge,  and  will  be  more  likely  to  make  an  ob 
stinate  resistance  than  before  they  were  at  first  routed; 
while  their  return  to  the  charge  will  greatly  damp  those  who 
before  considered  themselves  almost  in  the  grasp  of  vic 
tory.  Hence  what  took  place  at  Germantown  was  no  won 
der.  The  fogginess  of  the  morning  was  unfortunate  for 
the  Americans:  but  the  British  taking  possession  of  the 
stone  house,  and  defending  it,  was  the  most  unfortunate 
circumstance.  The  loss  on  both  sides  was  considerable ;  on 
the  side  of  the  Americans,  Brig.  Gen.  Nash1,  and  on  the 
side  of  the  British  Brig.  Gen.  Agnew,  were  among  the 
slain;  but  though  this  attempt  was  not  crowned  with  vic 
tory,  it  caused  the  British  to  have  a  more  reverential  opin 
ion  of  Gen.  Washington,  whom  they  now  found  dare  to  at 
tack  their  whole  army,  even  in  a  chosen  position  of  their 
own.  Perhaps  is  was  best  that  the  action  closed  as  it  did; 
had  the  Americans  made  their  way  far  into  the  long  street 
of  that  town,  probably  many  other  houses  would  have  been 
occupied  in  the  same  way.  The  burying-yard,  with  a  strong 
wall,  was  lined  with  troops  by  the  enemy;  and  the  position 
in  which  their  army  lay  was  calculated  for  their  wings 
closing  in  to  much  advantage ;  at  any  rate,  the  battle  must 
have  been  very  bloody,  and  situation  and  circumstances 
were  in  favour  of  the  British.  After  the  British  were  in 
possession  of  Philadelphia,  they  had  much  to  do  in  order 
to  get  possession  of  the  Delaware,  and  remove  the  obstruc 
tions  which  had  been  formed  in  it.  There  were  also  sev 
eral  works  to  be  reduced;  among  others,  a  fort  on  Mud- 
Island,  and  a  pretty  strong  work  at  Red  Bank. 

22d. — Highly  important   and   most   interesting   intelli 
gence  was  received,  that  on  the  17th  inst.  Gen.  Burgoyne 
and  his  whole  army  surrendered,  under  Convention.  They 
were  to  be  marched  to  the  neighborhood  of  Boston,   and 
from  thence  sent  to  England.    Upon  receipt  of  this  news, 

1  Francis  Nash  of  North  Carolina. 


123 

the  cannon  on  Fort  Hill  were  discharged,  and  joy  was 
seated  on  every  brow. 

23d. — At  1  o'clock,  P.  M.  the  cannon  on  Fort  Hill  and  on 
the  heights  of  Dorchester  were  discharged,  and  also  on 
board  the  ships  in  the  harbour.  In  the  evening,  our  Gen 
eral's  quarters  (the  house  of  the  late  Hon.  Mr.  Russel) 
was  beautifully  illuminated.  The  following  is  the  number 
of  troops  which  surrendered  to  Maj.  Gen.  Gates,  and  the 
state  of  Gen.  Burgoyne's  army  after  he  left  Canada : 

Under  the  Convention.) 

British,  a-».:  \^  V  ,v  v  f./%  .'  -,,  .  2,442 
Foreign,  .  <  .-  .  •*;'=•  &m  -;  U  2,198 
Canadians,  &c.  sent  back  to  Canada,  .  .  *  1,100 
Staff,  .  ,  ..;.  ^  ,;  .  12 


Prisoners  taken  at  different  times, 

Sick  and  wounded,       .        .        .  .  v 

Deserters,      .        .         .         .         . 

Lost  at  Bennington,      .         .        .  .  v 

Killed  since  the  17th  of  September,  .  •'••••* 

Killed  and  taken  at  Tieonderoga,  .  ;•       . 

Total,        9,213 

The  brass  ordnance  taken  were  as  follows:  2  24- 
pounders;  4  12-pounders;  18  6-pounders;  4  3-pounders;  2 
8-inch  mortars;  5  howitzers;  total,  35,  exclusive  of  those 
taken  at  Bennington. 

Thus  were  the  British  totally  disappointed  in  this  quar 
ter.  The  troops  intended  to  form  a  junction  on  the  Hud 
son  were  as  high  up  as  Poughkeepsie ;  and  Gen.  Burgoyne 
informed  our  General  after  he  arrived  at  Boston,  that  on 
the  evening  after  he  had  proposed  to  Gen.  Gates  to  surren 
der,  in  case  he  could  obtain  honourable  terms,  which  were 
to  be  settled  the  next  day,  a  spy  came  in  from  the  troops 
down  the  river,  stating  how  far  they  had  got  up  and  what 
steps  were  next  to  be  taken;  on  which  he  (Gen.  Burgoyne) 


124 

assembled  his  officers  more  generally  than  usual  in  coun 
cils,  and  stated  to  them  the  circumstances  and  situation  of 
both  armies,  and  whether,  consistently  with  fair  principles 
of  honour  they  could  break  off  the  negotiation  for  an  hon 
ourable  Convention,  or  not;  when  it  was  the  unanimous 
opinion  of  every  officer  present  that  they  could  not.  But  in  a 
situation  like  this  at  that  moment,  danger  at  hand  is  more 
powerful  on  the  mind  than  the  hope  of  relief  at  a  distance. 
The  troops  who  were  up  the  river  returned  down. 

The  capture  of  Gen.  Burgoyne  and  his  whole  army,  who 
were  now  on  their  way  to  Boston,  opened  a  new,  impor 
tant  and  delicate  field  for  our  General.  This  army,  in 
which  there  were  many  officers  of  military  erudition  and 
some  of  refined  and  courtly  manners,  who  had  a  high  opin 
ion  of  national  honour  and  prowess,  and  who,  in  con 
sequence  of  the  Convention  which  they  had  formed,  had 
their  spirits  by  no  means  depressed,  as  those  who  are  com 
pelled  to  surrender  at  discretion, — were  sure  to  lay  a  heavy 
task  on  his  shoulders.  As  soon  as  he  was  notified  that 
these  troops  were  coming  under  his  direction,  he  set  him 
self  in  earnest  to  prepare  for  their  reception.  The  barracks 
at  Prospect  and  Winter  Hills  were  directed  to  be  put  in 
stantly  in  order.  The  Council  was  applied  to,  to  aid  in  the 
procurement  of  quarters  from  the  citizens  for  the  officers; 
nor  was  this  an  easy  task.  The  families  of  the  citizens 
generally  wanting  the  room  in  their  respective  houses,  ren 
dered  it  difficult  to  obtain  so  many  quarters  as  were  neces 
sary  for  so  great  number,  and  extended  the  limits  of  the 
parole  very  considerably.  The  Council  were  disposed  to 
do  everything  in  their  power,  and  gave  orders  accordingly 
whenever  they  were  necessary.  A  heavy  duty  was  also  fall 
ing  on  the  Quarter-Master's  department,  as  it  respected 
quarters,  and  also  fuel,  the  latter  of  which  had  been  ren 
dered  scarce  in  the  vicinity  by  the  American  army  having 
been  here  in  1775;  and  the  enemy's  cruisers  prevented  its 
being  brought  from  the  eastern  country.  But  by  the  exer 
tions  of  Col.  Chase,  who  was  Deputy-Quarter-Master-Gen- 


125 

eral,  and  the  assistants  and  conductors  in  this  department, 
and  of  Col.  Davis,  who  was  Deputy-Barrack-Master,  and 
who,  in  the  procurement  of  fuel,  was  indefatigable,  a  com 
fortable  supply  was  obtained.  Before  the  arrival  of  the 
troops  at  Cambridge,  our  General  had  digested  and  drafted 
a  parole,  and  several  articles  for  the  government  of  the 
troops  in  quarters ;  these  he  had  drawn  in  as  an  article  in 
the  parole;  and  the  honour  of  the  officers  in  this  way  was 
pledged  for  their  observance  of  the  articles,  which  rendered 
the  government  of  them  much  easier ;  being  thus  bound  to 
govern  themselves  with  propriety,  or  infringe  their  pa 
roles;  knowing  that  many  things  in  minutiae  would  be  to 
settle,  which  would  be  tedious  in  an  epistolary  way.  As 
soon  as  General  Burgoyne  had  arrived  at  Cambridge,  our 
General  sent  over  one  of  his  Aides-de-camp  to  invite  Gen. 
Burgoyne  to  dine  with  him  the  next  day,  bringing  with  him 
his  two  Major-Generals,  Phillips  and  Reidesel.  An  ele 
gant  dinner  was  prepared,  and  many  other  gentlemen  in 
vited,  among  whom  were  Generals  Glover  of  Massachusetts, 
and  Whipple1  of  New  Hampshire,  who  were  at  the  capture 
and  had  commanded  the  escort,  &c.  from  Saratoga  to  Cam 
bridge. 

November  8th. — Our  General  sent  one  of  his  Aids  to  ac 
company  Gen.  Burgoyne  and  the  other  officers  into  Boston 
by  the  way  of  Koxbury ;  they  arrived  some  time  before  din 
ner,  as  was  intended,  that  business  might  be  considered. 
The  parole  was  shewn  to  them,  and  the  articles  for  their 
government  in  quarters,  with  which  they  were  well  pleased. 
But  here  a  discovery  was  first  made  of  something  which 
they  wished  to  retain  while  in  our  country,  and  which  our 
General  would  never  for  a  moment  allow;  General  Phil 
lips  turning  to  our  General,  observed,  "Sir,  you  well  know 
the  disposition  of  soldiers,  and  that  they  will  more  or  less 
in  all  armies  commit  some  disorders;  suppose  you  should 
delegate  to  Gen.  Burgoyne  the  power  of  seeing  your  orders 


1  William  Whipple,  brigadier-general  N.    H.    militia.     (Died    Nov.    28, 

1785). 


126 

executed."  Our  General  replied  that  he  knew  the  dispo 
sition  of  soldiers,  and  also  the  necessity  of  order  and  dis 
cipline  ;  that  he  was  not  only  willing,  but  expected  that 
Gen.  Burgoyne,  and  every  other  officer,  would  exert  them 
selves  to  keep  order;  that  for  this  purpose  among  them 
selves,  and  for  the  internal  order  and  obedience,  he  might 
command  and  punish  as  might  appear  to  be  necessary ;  but 
in  no  case  to  attempt  capital  punishment.  But  as  to  the 
exercise  of  his  own  command,  and  enforcement  of  his  own 
orders  when  necessary,  this  was  a  jurisdiction  which  Gen. 
Burgoyne  must  not  expect  to  exercise  while  here.  Gen* 
Burgoyne  smiled,  and  Gen.  Phillips  turned  it  off  by  say 
ing,  "  I  only  meant  it  for  your  easement,  Sir." 

Before  dinner  was  done,  so  great  was  the  curiosity  of  the 
citizens  of  both  sexes,  and  of  all  ages  and  descriptions,  to 
get  a  peep  at  Gen.  Burgoyne,  that  the  streets  were  filled, 
the  doors,  windows,  the  tops  of  the  houses  and  fences 
crowded.  Gen.  Burgoyne  had  asked  our  General  if  he 
would  indulge  him  to  go  out  of  town  by  the  way  of  Charles- 
town,  which  was  instantly  granted.  When  he  was  ready 
to  depart,  our  General  told  him  that  he  should  accompany 
him  to  the  ferry ;  and  a  procession  was  formed,  the  Ameri 
can  gentlemen  mixing  with  the  British.  The  streets  were 
so  crowded,  that  it  was  difficult  getting  along;  but  not  a 
word  or  a  gesture  that  was  disrespectful.  When  arrived 
opposite  to  the  Province-House,  General  Burgoyne  turned 
round  to  the  other  Generals,  and  observed,  "  There  is  the 
former  residence  of  the  Governor;"  when  some  person  on 
the  side  of  the  street,  and  in  a  tone  fully  to  be  heard,  added, 
"and  on  the  other  side  is  the  riding  school;"  alludiing  to 
the  Old  South  Meeting-House  having  been  put  to  that  use 
in  1775 :  but  the  General,  who  must  have  heard  it,  made  no 
reply,  but  soon  after  observed,  "  Sir,  I  am  astonished  at  the 
civility  of  your  people;  for  were  you  walking  the  streets  of 
London  in  my  situation,  you  would  not  escape  insult." 
When  arrived  at  the  ferry-ways,  the  crowd  were  down  to 
the  water's  edge ;  but  when  the  boat  put  off,  there  was  not 


127 

the  least  indecency,  or  wry  countenance  discovered. O 

my  dear  countrymen !  how  did  this  your  dignified  conduct 
at  that  moment  charm  my  very  soul !  Such  conduct  flows 
from  a  greatness  of  mind,  that  goes  to  conquer  a  world. 

Col.  Keith  was  appointed  Deputy- Adjutant-General,  and 
Major  Swasey1  Town  Major. 

14th. — The  Council  were  still  deliberating  on  the   sub 
ject  of  quarters,  and  determined  to  do  every  thing  in  their 
power ;  but  some  individuals  were  refractory. 

19th. — Gen.  Hancock  arrived  in  town,  and  was  saluted 
by  the  discharge  of  the  cannon  of  the  Fort,  Park,  &c. 

22d,. — Intelligence  was  received  of  the  repulse  of  the 
enemy  before  the  redoubt  at  Red  Bank,  on  the  22d  ult. 
This  redoubt  or  fort  had  a  garrison  by  no  means  sufficient 
properly  to  man  the  whole  work.  The  commanding  officer 
had  therefore  wisely  lessened  it,  by  running  a  parapet  with 
a  ditch  across  the  area  of  the  fort,  but  had  left  the  work  en 
tire  in  its  largest  extent.  A  body  of  chosen  troops  were 
sent  to  reduce  this  work,  under  the  command  of  the  Hes 
sian  Col.  Donop,  a  brave  and  good  officer.  In  order  if  pos 
sible  to  get  some  idea  of  the  work,  he  sent  his  summons  for 
the  fort  to  surrender  by  a  very  capable  Adjutant;  but  the 
Commandant  of  the  fort  took  care  to  have  him  stopped 
without  the  work,  and  where  he  had  no  opportunity  to  see 
more  than  the  ditch  and  parapet  on  that  side.  The  com 
manding  officer  refusing  to  surrender,  an  assault  was 
made ;  the  assailants  at  the  head  of  the  column  bringing  in 
their  hands  a  sufficient  number  of  short  fascines  to  fill  the 
ditch  where  they  meant  to  pass,  which  was  well  done,  and 
the  parapet  was  mounted ;  but  to  their  disappointment  and 
surprise,  they  now  found  there  was  another  ditch  and  par 
apet  to  pass,  and  in  the  face  of  a  dreadful  fire  too,  which 
made  great  slaughter;  a  number  of  them,  however,  ad 
vanced  into  the  second  ditch,  and  began  to  remove  the  fri 
zes  on  the  berme;  but  these  were  generally  killed  in  the 

1  Joseph  Swasey  of  William  R.  Lee's  regiment. 


128 

ditch,  and  such  as  were  not  killed  or  wounded  obliged  to 
quit  the  outer  work.  Their  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was 
great ;  among  the  latter  Col.  Donop  mortally ;  he  was  taken 
after  the  action  near  the  fort,  and  brought  in.  An  Ensign 
had  made  his  way  over  the  second  ditch,  had  got  on  to  the 
frizes,  and  lay  close  against  the  base  of  the  parapet  until 
the  action  was  over,  and  then  got  up  and  surrendered,  ob 
serving  that  he  thought  his  position  the  only  safe  one ;  for 
had  he  attempted  to  put  his  head  above  the  parapet,  he 
knew  his  brains  would  have  been  instantly  blown  out;  or 
if  he  had  attempted  to  re-cross  the  ditch,  he  should  have 
been  shot  in  the  back.  Besides  this  severe  check,  the  Brit 
ish  met  with  considerable  opposition  and  loss  at  other 
places,  before  they  got  full  and  peaceable  possession  of  the 
river ;  particularly  at  Mud  Island.  They  lost  the  Augusta 
man-of-war,  and  suffered  other  naval  damage. 

Gen.  Washington  being  now  considerably  reinforced 
with  a  part  of  the  northern  conquering  army,  advanced  to 
White  Marsh,  about  14  miles  from  Philadelphia,  where  he 
encamped  in  a  strong  and  well  chosen  position.  Gen. 
Howe,  apprehensive  that  this  movement  indicated  a  design 
upon  Philadelphia,  determined  to  move  out,  and  either  in 
vite  Gen.  Washington  to  a  general  action,  or,  if  he  found 
him  vulnerable,  to  attack  him  in  his  own  position.  Accord 
ingly,  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  December,  he  marched 
with  the  British  army,  and  on  the  next  morning  took  post 
on  Chestnut  Hill,  in  front  of  the  American  right.  Gen. 
Washington,  knowing  the  goodness  of  his  position,  wisely 
continued  in  it ;  nor  dare  Gen.  Howe  attack  him.  The  latter 
then  changed  his  ground  to  a  new  position,  opposite  to  the 
American  left  and  centre,  but  neither  dare  he  attack  either 
of  these.  Several  skirmishes  took  place,  as  is  usual  in 
such  cases;  in  one  of  which  Brig.  Gen.  Irvine  on  the  Amer 
ican  side  was  wounded.  After  several  days  spent  in  this 
way,  Howe  was  obliged  to  return  without  effecting  any 
thing,  to  the  no  small  injury  of  his  army,  who  had  suffered 
much  from  the  inclemency  of  the  season.  Indeed  nothing 


129 

is  more  destructive  to  an  army  than  winter  campaigns. 
After  this,  Gen.  Washington  moved  the  American  army  to 
Valley  Forge,  on  the  Schuylkill,  about  16  miles  from  Phil 
adelphia,  where  he  took  a  position  as  wisely  chosen  as  the 
other,  and  where  the  army  erected  huts  for  the  winter. 

We  now  return  to  take  up  our  chain  of  events. 

23d. — A  French  ship,  with  dry  goods  from  France,  by 
the  way  of  St.  Peters1,  arrived  at  Boston. 

Gen.  Burgoyne  had  not  yet  signed  the  parole;  he  pre 
tended  to  delay  until  their  quarters  were  fully  furnished, 
although  he  had  every  assurance  that  it  should  be  done  as 
fast  as  circumstances  would  possibly  admit.  On  this  day, 
therefore,  our  General  wrote  him  the  following  letter. 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  Nov.  23,  1777. 

"  SIR, 

Two  weeks  have  now  elapsed  since  I  had  fully  expected 
that  the  officers  would  have  signed  their  paroles.  They 
have,  during  this  time,  been  enjoying  in  a  great  measure 
the  liberty  of  the  limits  intended  to  be  assigned  to  them, 
without  pledging  their  honour  by  parole;  which  is  not  only 
contrary  to  the  established  custom  of  nations,  but  con 
trary  to  the  eleventh  article  of  the  Convention.  Whatever 
objections  might  at  first  be  made  to  giving  the  parole  must 
now  be  done  away,  by  the  fullest  evidence  that  proper 
quarters  shall  be  provided,  and  which  in  a  very  consider 
able  degree  is  already  done.  I  must,  therefore,  in  the  most 
explicit  terms,  insist  that  the  officers  who  wish  and  expect 
to  be  permitted  on  parole,  agreeably  to  the  Convention,  do 
sign  it  to-morrow.  This  is  so  reasonable,  that  I  expect  there 
will  be  no  further  hesitancy ;  and  I  still  assure  your  Excel 
lency,  that  no  endeavours  of  mine  shall  be  wanting  to  ful 
fil  the  Convention,  and  to  treat  the  officers  with  politeness 
and  generosity. 

I  am,  &c. 
(Signed)  WILLIAM  HEATH. 

1  Presumably  the  island  of  St.  Pierre. 


130 

25th. — Gen.  Burgoyne  and  the  other  officers  of  the  Con 
vention  signed  their  parole. 

Congress  before  this,  viz.  on  the  8th  instant,  passed  the 
following  resolve : 

In  Congress,  Nov.  8,  1777. 

"  Resolved,  That  Maj.  Gen.  Heath  be  directed  forthwith 
to  cause  to  be  taken  down  the  name  and  rank  of  every  com 
missioned  officer,  and  the  name,  former  place  of  abode  and 
occupation,  size,  age,  and  description  of  every  non-com 
missioned  officer  and  private  soldier,  and  all  other  persons 
comprehended  in  the  Convention  made  between  Lieut.  Gen. 
Burgoyne  and  Maj.  Gen.  Gates,  on  the  16th  day  of  Octo 
ber,  1777,  and  transmit  an  authentic  copy  thereof  to  the 
Board  of  War,  in  order  that  if  any  officer  or  soldier,  or 
other  person  as  above  mentioned,  of  the  said  army,  shall 
hereafter  be  found  in  arms  against  these  States  in  North  - 
America,  during  the  present  contest,  he  may  be  convicted 
of  the  offence,  and  suffer  the  punishment  in  such  case  in 
flicted  by  the  law  of  nations. 

That  Maj.  Gen.  Heath  be  directed  to  take  the  parole  in 
writing  of  the  officers,  according  to  the  Convention,  and 
transmit  authenticated  copies  of  such  paroles  to  the  Board 
of  War. 

Extract  from  the  Minutes, 
(Signed)        CHARLES  THOMSON,  Sec'y. 

Upon  the  foregoing  being  communicated  to  Gen.  Bur 
goyne,  and  he  called  upon  to  have  the  said  descriptive  lists 
made  out  accordingly,  he  wrote  our  General  the  following 
letter : 

CAMBRIDGE,,  Nov.  20,  1777. 
"  SIR, 

I  received  a  paper,  dated  head-quarters,  Boston,  Nov. 
20th,  purporting  to  be  founded  upon  express  orders  from 
the  Honourable  Continental  Congress,  which  paper  I  re 
turn  as  inadmissible,  because  extending  to  matters  in 
which  the  Congress  have  no  right  of  interference. 


131 

A  list  of  the  names  and  rank  of  every  commissioned 
officer,  and  the  numbers  of  the  non-commissioned  officers 
and  soldiers,  may  be  necessary  to  you,  Sir,  for  the  purpose 
of  fulfilling  the  Convention,  in  quartering  officers,  and 
the  regular  delivery  of  provisions,  fuel,  &c.  Such  lists 
shall  be  prepared  at  your  request;  but  before  any  other 
lists  can  be  granted,  I  must  be  assured  of  the  purposes  for 
which  they  are  intended,  and  the  word  order  must  neither 
be  mentioned  or  implied. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 
(Signed)  J.  BURGOYNE,  Lieut.  Gen. 

To  Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

To  the  foregoing,  our  General  wrote  an  answer  as  fol 
lows: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  Nov.  21, 1777. 
"  SIR, 

Yours  of  yesterday  is  before  me;  and  although  you 
might  at  first  imagine  that  the  Hon.  Continental  Congress 
have  no  right  of  interference  in  matters  of  the  Convention, 
yet  I  conclude  upon  further  reflection  you  must  be  con 
vinced,  that  as  that  body  are  the  Representatives  of  that 
people  who  are  to  reap  the  advantages  or  disadvantages 
of  the  Convention,  and  as  all  continental  officers  are  acting 
by  virtue  of  their  authority,  and  under  their  direction, 
they  assuredly  have  a  right  of  interference,  and  to  give 
such  orders  to  their  officers  as  they  may  think  proper,  for 
the  full  completion  of  the  Convention,  and  for  the  safety 
and  good  of  the  people. 

The  paragraph  of  my  orders  of  the  20th  inst.  respect 
ing  the  troops  of  the  Convention  is  founded  in  reason  and 
justice,  being  designed  only  to  ascertain  the  officers  and 
soldiers  who  were  comprehended  in  the  Convention,  that 
in  case  any  of  them  (contrary  to  their  faith  and  honour) 
should  hereafter  be  found  in  arms  against  these  States,  in 
North  America,  during  the  present  contest,  they  may  be 
convicted  of  the  offence,  and  suffer  the  punishment  in  such 


132  [1777 

case  inflicted  by  the  law  of  nations.  I  must  therefore  in 
sist  that  you  furnish  me  with  proper  lists  of  names  and 
descriptions,  for  the  purpose  before  mentioned,  as  soon  as 
may  be. 

The  other  lists  of  the  names  and  rank  of  the  commis 
sioned  officers,  and  number  of  non-commissioned  officers 
and  soldiers,  so  essentially  necessary  for  the  several  pur 
poses  of  regularity  with  Quarter-Masters  and  Commissar 
ies  (and  which  should  be  frequently  renewed,  as  circum 
stances  may  vary)  should  long  ere  this  have  been  exhibited. 
Some  days  since,  I  directed  my  Deputy- Adjutant-General 
to  call  for  them ;  and  I  expect  they  will  be  sent  in  without 
delay,  for  the  purposes  above  mentioned. 

I  shall  at  all  times  endeavour  to  found  my  orders  on 
the  principles  of  honour,  reason  and  justice,  and  not  to  in 
fringe  those  delicate  principles  in  others;  but  my  orders 
for  the  purposes  of  order  and  regularity,  must  be  obeyed 
by  every  man  placed  under  my  direction ;  and  fully  deter 
mined  I  am,  that  offenders  shall  not  pass  with  impunity. 
I  am,  &c. 

(Signed)     W.  HEATH,  Maj.  Gen. 
Lieut.  Gen.  BURGOYNE." 

23d. — Gen.  Burgoyne  wrote  an  answer  to  the  foregoing. 
But  he  now  acknowledged  a  further  extent  of  the  supreme 
power,  than  in  his  former  letter;  bufc  sfcill  at  least  obliquely 
denied  the  right  of  their  interferenc  with  the  Convention 
troops,  who  were  under  express  stipulations  until  they 
quitted  the  country,  and  that  no  new  conditions  could  be 
imposed  upon  them;  and  asserting  that  no  such  requisi 
tions  were  laid  upon  the  American  prisoners  in  Canada; 
and  concluding,  that  if  it  could  be  found  that  such  had 
been  required  by  the  British  in  any  case,  he  would  submit 
to  it.  About  this  time,  an  officer  who  had  been  a  prisoner 
in  Canada  returned  to  Boston  on  parole,  and  gave  infor 
mation  that  he  and  others  had  complied  with  similar  in 
junctions  before  they  came  away;  upon  this  being  com- 


1778]  133 

municated  to  Gen.  Burgoyne,  he  found  that  he  had  got  to 
the  end  of  his  tether  of  evasion ;  he  did  not  attempt  to  dis 
pute  more,  but  observed  that  he  supposed  if  it  was  done 
any  time  before  the  troops  departed,  it  would  answer  the 
purpose.  Our  General  found  that  nothing  could  be  done 
by  force,  for  were  he  to  attempt  of  himself  to  have  the  lists 
taken,  every  thing  might  be  evaded  except  the  size  and  com 
plexion.  He  therefore  laid  the  matter  before  Congress, 
with  the  copies  of  what  had  passed.  Oongress  took  the 
matter  into  consideration,  and  President  Laurens  wrote 
our  General  an  approbation  of  his  conduct,  and  not  to  push 
the  matter,  as  Congress  would  take  a  more  extensive  view 
of  the  business ;  concluding  his  letter,  "  1  have  in  conclu- 
"  sion  to  assure  you,  Sir,  that  Congress  repose  the  utmost 
"  confidence  in  your  address  and  abilities  for  conducting 
"  with  propriety  this  important  business,  in  which,  on  one 
"  side,  the  faith  and  honour  of  these  infant  States  are  to 
"  be  preserved,  and  on  the  other,  the  magnanimity  and  res- 
"  olution  of  Congress  to  be  exemplified." 

December. — Congress  had  received  some  intimations 
that  an  application  would  be  made  to  them  for  leave  for  the 
troops  of  the  Convention  to  embark  at  some  other  place 
than  Boston ;  they  therefore  on  the  1st  of  December  passed 
a  resolution  that  no  other  place  than  that  stipulated  in 
the  Convention,  viz.  Boston,  should  be  admitted.  A  few 
days  after,  Gen.  Burgoyne  applied,  as  was  suspected,  but 
to  no  purpose. 

Congress  also  passed  resolutions  that  all  the  assistance 
of  provisions  and  other  necessaries  furnished  to  the  troops 
of  the  Convention  should  be  paid  for  in  specie,  or  replaced 
in  quantity  or  quality. 

1778.  January. — Gen.  Burgoyne  had  now  got  himself 
into  a  very  serious  entanglement ;  he  had  not  only  refused, 
and  then  delayed  to  give  descriptive  lists  of  the  troops  of 
the  Convention,  but  some  time  before,  viz.  in  the  month  of 
November,  had  written  a  letter  to  Gen.  Gates,  complaining 
that  the  troops  had  not  been  furnished  with  quarters  as 


134 

they  had  a  right  to  expect,  and  among  other  things  a  para 
graph  as  follows : 

"  While  I  state  to  you,  Sir,  this  very  unexpected  treat 
ment,  I  entirely  acquit  Maj.  Gen.  Heath  and  every  gentle 
man  of  the  military  department  of  any  inattention  to  the 
public  faith  engaged  in  the  Convention.  They  do  what  they 
can;  but  while  the  Supreme  Powers  of  the  State  are  un 
able  or  unwilling  to  enforce  their  authority,  and  the  inhabi 
tants  want  the  hospitality,  or  indeed  the  common  civiliza 
tion  to  assist  us  without  it,  the  public  faith  is  broke,  and 
we  are  the  immediate  sufferers." 

This  was  unreasonable,  both  as  it  respected  the  civil  po 
wer  and  the  people ;  for  the  former  did  everything  in  their 
power,  unless  they  had  turned  the  citizens  out  of  their 
houses  to  have  let  the  Convention  officers  in,  which  was  not 
to  be  expected ;  nor  could  it  be  supposed  that  the  citizens 
would  turn  their  families  themselves  into  the  streets.  But 
Congress  considered  the  conduct  of  Gen.  Burgoyne,  and 
these  and  other  of  his  expressions  on  the  occasion,  as  call 
ing  for  serious  consideration.  They  therefore  investigated 
the  whole  in  all  its  latitudes ;  and  the  President  of  Con 
gress  wrote  to  our  General  that  as  it  was  a  matter  of  high 
importance,  and  required  deep  deliberation,  it  would  prob 
ably  occupy  some  days,  before  the  resolutions  would  be 
completed.  But  that,  in  case  the  fleet  arrived  before  the 
papers  were  sent  to  him,  to  forbid  the  embarkation. 

Gen.  Burgoyne  had  received  intimations  that  a  fleet  of 
transports  were  about  to  come  round  for  the  troops,  and 
that  the  Juno  frigate  was  to  wear  a  flag  for  his  particular 
accommodation.  This  he  mentioned  to  our  General,  and 
wished  to  know  if  the  frigate  might  come  up  into  the  har 
bour.  Our  General  had  no  apprehensions  of  any  danger 
from  a  frigate  entering  the  harbour,  but  apprehended  that 
some  people  might  think  that  he  was  not  sufficiently  vigi 
lant,  in  case  he  allowed  it.  He  therefore  told  Gen.  Bur 
goyne  that  the  frigate  could  not  come  up  into  the  harbour, 
and  hinted  to  him  the  taking  of  one  of  the  most  convenient 


135 

transports  in  the  fleet  for  the  purpose ;  and  he  might  do  as 
he  pleased  when  he  got  off.  This  touched  Gen.  Burgoyne 
exceedingly,  who  wrote  a  letter  to  our  General,  in  which 
was  the  followng  paragraph : 

"As  to  your  allotment  of  a  "convenient  transport"  for 
my  passage,  if  it  was  from  yourself,  I  am  to  thank  you  Sir, 
for  a  sort  of  insult  which  the  most  haughty  man  of  office 
would  be  ashamed  of,  in  any  other  country.  However,  as 
I  am  determined  every  transaction  concerning  this  Conven 
tion  shall  be  notorious,  and  beyond  the  powers  of  subter 
fuge  to  explain  away,  I  have  directed  the  frigate  together 
with  the  transports  to  come  round,  and  it  will  then  be  for 
you,  Sir,  to  prohibit  the  entry  of  Boston  harbour  to  any 
ships  bearing  a  flag  of  truce,  and  declaring  they  are  sent 
for  the  express  purpose  of  conveying  to  Great  Britain  any 
part  of  the  troops  of  the  Convention. 

(Signed)  J.  BURGOYNE. 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

To  which  our  General  wrote  the  following  answer: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,,  Jan.  5,  1778. 

"  SIR, 

Your  Excellency's  favour  of  yesterday  came  duly  to 
hand;  and  I  must  confess  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  at 
some  expressions  in  it. 

As  by  the  Convention,  transports  only  are  stipulated 
to  receive  the  troops,  I  submit  to  you,  Sir,  whether  a  hint 
(if  you  were  even  sure  that  it  came  from  myself)  that  you 
should  take  a  convenient  one,  rather  than  introduce  a  fri 
gate,  which  is  neither  expressed  or  implied  in  the  Conven 
tion,  merits  those  epithets  which  you  are  pleased  to  bestow 
on  me. 

1  have  every  aimed  to  treat  you  with  politeness ;  and  the 
plighted  faith  and  honour  of  my  country  require  me  to  pay 
strict  attention  to  the  Convention  on  their  part :  of  course, 
when  transports  arrive  to  receive  the  troops,  they  will  enter 


136 

the  harbour ;  and  if  you  can  find  by  the  Convention  that  a 
frigate  is  to  enter  for  the  particular  reception  of  yourself, 
she  will  not  be  prohibited.  But  if  it  is  rather  uncommon 
for  ships  of  war  to  bear  flags  of  truce,  and  if  consenting  to 
it  in  the  present  case  should  appear  to  be  rather  an  act  of 
politeness  and  generosity  than  otherwise,  I  leave  you  to 
your  own  reflections  whether  you  have  made  choice  of  the 
most  happy  expressions  to  obtain  it. 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH. 

Lieut.  Gen.  BURGOYNE." 

Gen.  Burgoyne  somehow  communicated  to  Viscount 
Howe  the  subject  of  the  frigate,  who  wrote  Gen.  Burgoyne 
the  following  letter  some  time  after,  but  before  the  trans 
ports  came  round. 

Eagle,  RHODE  ISLAND,  Feb.  3,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

I  am  much  concerned  to  find  by  your  letter  I  had  the 
honour  to  receive  from  you,  on  the  return  of  Capt.  Piper, 
that  you  have  suffered  so  greatly  in  your  health.  But  I  hope 
that  a  speedy  removal  to  a  milder  climate  will  contribute 
to  your  effectual  recovery. 

The  transports  have  only  been  delayed  to  take  the  pre 
cautions  necessary  for  their  safe  passage  at  this  season  of 
the  year.  As  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  frigate  or 
dered  for  your  reception,  though  carrying  a  flag  of  truce, 
and  restricted  from  every  act  of  hostility  in  consequence, 
whilst  attending  this  service,  should  be  admitted  within 
the  port  of  Boston,  the  commander,  Capt.  Jacobs,  will  be 
to  land  a  letter  under  the  same  sanction,  for  giving  you 
notice  of  his  arrival  off  the  entrance  of  the  port.  He  will 
wait  to  be  favoured  in  your  answer  with  notice  of  the  time 
you  may  expect  to  embark,  on  which  occasion  I  trust  you 
will  find  every  facility  that  your  impaired  state  of  health 
may  require. 

(Signed)  HOWE." 


137 

Thus  did  the  Admiral's  opinion  perfectly  coincide  with 
that  of  our  General. 

But  Congress  had  passed  a  resolution,  on  the  8th  day  of 
January,  upon  principles  clearly  expressed  in  a  report  of 
a  committee  upon  which  the  resolution  was  founded: 

"  That  the  embarkation  of  Lieut.  Gen.  Burgoyne,  and 
the  troops  under  his  command,  be  suspended,  till  a  distinct 
and  explicit  ratification  of  the  Convention  of  Saratoga 
shall  be  prperly  notified  by  the  Court  of  Great  Britain  to 
Congress." 

Our  General's  correspondence  with  Gen.  Burgoyne,  re 
specting  the  frigate,  &c.  was  transmitted  to  Congress,  and 
the  President  soon  after  wrote  him — 

"  The  House  appeared  to  be  pleased  with  your  conduct 
in  every  respect  relative  to  that  officer." 

Gen.  Burgoyne  applied  to  Congress  for  leave  to  go  to 
Europe  himself ;  but  Congress  did  not  then  think  proper  to 
grant  his  request.  Although  this  denial  must  have  been 
very  painful  to  the  General,  he  did  not  express  himself,  or 
write  any  thing  in  the  least  improper.  He  observed  to  our 
General,  that  he  was  sorry;  for  that  not  only  his  health 
urged  his  departure,  but  that  every  day  he  was  detained 
here,  gave  his  enemies  at  home  an  opportunity  for  piercing 
the  wound  of  his  reputation  the  deeper. 

But  Col.  Kingston  was  not  so  prudent  as  the  General :  a 
packet  of  letters  which  Gen.  Burgoyne  wished  to  send  to 
Gen.  Howe,  was  sent  to  our  General  for  inspection ;  among 
these  was  one  from  Col.  Kingston  to  Lord  Harcourt,  in 
which,  after  observing  that  fortune  had  not  shewn  them 
the  smooth  side  of  her  face,  yet  they  thought  their  misfor 
tunes  honourable,  proceeded,  that  he  (Gen.  Burgoyne) 
was  not  well,  but  "you  know  his  firmness.  But  I  think 
the  insincerity  of  France,  bigotry  of  Spain,  or  the  vindic 
tive  Portugese,  situated  as  he  is,  would  not  have  sought  for 
means  unnecessarily  to  detain  him."  This  insult  to  the  au 
thority  of  the  country  induced  our  General  to  detain  this 
letter,  and  he  notified  Gen.  Burgoyne  of  it,  adding,  that 


138 

while  it  was  his  wish  to  gratify  the  officers  as  much  as  pos 
sible  in  writing  to  their  friends,  he  expected  they  would  be 
cautious  and  prudent  in  their  manner  of  expression.  When 
the  American  Deputy-Adjutant-General  gave  the  letter 
from  our  General  to  Gen.  Burgoyne,  and  he  had  read  it,  he 
observed :  "  I  told  Col.  Kingston  that  Gen.  Heath  would 
not  let  that  letter  pass."  He  should  have  done  more — for 
bid  his  making  the  attempt. 

Another  serious  matter  took  place  about  this  time:  Col. 
Henley,  who  had  the  immediate  command  at  Cambridge,  a 
brave  and  good  officer,  but  warm  and  quick  in  his  natural 
temper,  having  ordered  some  prisoners  who  were  under 
guard  turned  out,  that  he  might  examine  them,  one  of  them 
treated  him,  as  he  judged,  with  much  insolence;  upon 
which  he  pricked  him  with  a  sword,  or  bayonet.  Gen.  Bur 
goyne  immediately  presented  a  complaint  against  Col.  Hen 
ley,  charging  him  with  barbarous  and  wanton  conduct, 
and  intentional  murder,  as  appears  in  the  following  letter : 

CAMBRIDGE,  Jan.  9th,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

A  report  has  been  made  to  me  of  a  disturbance  that 
happened  at  the  barracks  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  for 
which  I  am  much  concerned ;  and  though  the  provocations 
from  your  people,  which  originally  occasioned  it,  were  of 
the  most  atrocious  nature,  I  was  willing  the  offender  on  our 
part  should  be  properly  punished.  But  Col.  Henley,  not 
content  with  that,  made  prisoners  of  eighteen  innocent 
men,  and  sent  them  on  board  a  guard-ship,  as  alleged  by 
your  order.  It  is  not  only  a  duty  to  my  situation  to  de 
mand  the  immediate  discharge  of  these  men,  together  with 
a  satisfactory  apology;  but  I  also  mean  it  as  an  attention 
to  you,  Sir,  that  I  give  you  an  immediate  opportunity  to 
disavow  so  unjustifiable  a  proceeding  as  committing  men 
to  the  worst  of  prisons  upon  vague  report,  caprice  and  pas 
sion. 

Insults  and  provocations,  at  which  the  most  placid  dis- 


139 

positions  would  revolt,  are  daily  given  to  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  this  army.  Regular,  decent  complaints  are  re 
ceived  by  your  officers,  sometimes  with  haughtiness,  some 
times  with  derision,  but  always  without  redress.  These 
evils  flow,  Sir,  from  the  general  tenor  of  language  and  con 
duct  held  by  Col.  Henley,  which  encourages  his  inferiors, 
and  seems  calculated  to  excite  the  most  bloody  purposes. 
For  want  of  sufficient  information,  and  not  bringing  my 
self  to  believe  it  possible  that  facts  as  related  by  common 
report  could  be  true,  I  have  hitherto  declined  taking  public 
notice  of  this  man;  but  upon  positive  grounds  I  now  and 
hereby  formally  accuse  Col.  Henley  of  behaviour  heinously 
criminal  as  an  officer,  and  unbecoming  a  man ;  of  the  most 
indecent,  violent,  vindictive  severity  against  unarmed  men, 
and  of  intentional  murder.  I  demand  prompt  and  satisfac 
tory  justice,  and  will  not  doubt  your  readiness  to  give  it. 
Whenever  you  will  inform  me  that  a  proper  tribunal  is  ap 
pointed,  I  will  take  care  that  undeniable  evidence  shall  be 
produced  to  support  these  charges. 

I  am,  &c. 
(Signed)  J.  BURGOYNE." 

To  which  our  General  returned  the  following  answer: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  Jan.  10th,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

YOUKS  of  yesterday's  date,  I  received  the  last  even 
ing.  What  provocations  you  allude  to,  as  having  been  of 
fered  by  my  troops,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  determine.  The  in 
sults  and  abuses  which  they  have  received,  I  will  venture 
to  say,  unless  I  have  been  most  grossly  misinformed,  are 
unparalleled;  and  whether  you  are  willing  or  unwilling, 
Sir,  offenders  shall  no  longer  pass  with  impunity. 

If  it  can  be  made  to  appear  that  any  of  those  soldiers 
sent  to  the  guard-ship  by  my  orders,  are  innocent,  they 
shall  be  released  from  their  confinement :  but  with  respect 
to  such  as  have  been  guilty  of  violating  my  standing  orders 
of  the  garrison,  instead  of  disavowing  or  making  any 


140 

apology  for  the  confinement  of  such,  be  assured  that  I  do 
most  explicitly  avow  it.  And  as  I  have  before  observed  to 
your  Excellency  in  a  former  letter,  of  which  you  may  be 
assured,  I  shall  at  all  times  endeavour  to  found  my  orders 
on  the  principles  of  honour,  reason  and  justice,  and  not 
to  infringe  those  delicate  principles  in  others:  so  also  be 
assured,  Sir,  that  such  my  orders  shall  be  obeyed  by  every 
officer  and  soldier  placed  under  my  direction ;  and  such  as* 
have  the  hardiness  to  transgress  them,  shall  abide  the  con 
sequences. 

I  have  been  informed  of  late,  that  some  have  hinted 
that  such  of  your  troops  as  break  my  orders,  ought  to  be 
tried  and  punished  by  your  orders.  Even  the  mention  of 
such  a  thing,  I  conceive  to  be  (to  use  your  own  words  in  a 
late  letter,  with  a  little  variation)  a  sort  of  insult  that  a 
man  of  military  erudition  in  any  country  would  be 
ashamed  of,  as  being  repugnant  to  every  idea  of  military 
discipline;  and  from  my  opinion  of  your  military  knowl 
edge,  I  cannot  admit  that  you  ever  hinted  it. 

To  convince  you  that  it  is  my  fixed  determination  to  in 
quire  into  all  abuses,  whether  committed  by  my  own  troops, 
or  those  of  the  Convention,  whilst  they  remain  within  my  de 
partment,  I  have  ordered  Col.  Henley  under  arrest,  and  ap 
pointed  a  Court  of  Inquiry,  whereof  Brig.  Gen.  Glover  is 
President,  to  examine  into  the  grounds  of  your  complaint, 
on  Wednesday  next,  at  10  o'clock,  A.  M.  at  Cambridge ;  and 
if  any  complaints  have  heretofore  passed  unredressed  it  is 
because  they  have  not  been  laid  before  me.  You  hinted  to 
me  when  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  last  at  Cam 
bridge,  that  one  of  my  officers  had  been  enticing  some  of  the 
troops  of  the  Convention  to  enter  our  service.  I  then  in 
formed  you,  that  if  you  would  send  the  complaint,  I  would 
immediately  bring  the  officer  to  trial.  You  promised  to  do 
it,  but  I  have  not  yet  received  it.  I  now  call  upon  you  to 
exhibit  that  charge,  or  any  other  that  you  have  to  make 
against  any  officer  under  my  command,  for  practices  of 
that  kind,  or  any  other;  being  with  yourself  fully  deter- 


141 

mined  that  all  my  conduct  respecting  the  Convention  shall 
be  notorious,  and  beyond  the  powers  of  subterfuge  to  ex 
plain  away.  Complaints  of  most  enormous  abuses  have 
lately  been  made  to  me  ;  one,  of  the  conduct  of  a  number  of 
officers  on  the  evening  or  night  of  the  25th  of  December,  at 
Bradish's  Tavern;  others,  of  prisoners  being  rescued  from 
the  guards  —  centinels  abused  and  insulted  on  their  posts 
—  passes  counterfeited,  and  others  filled  up  in  the  most  af 
frontive  manner;  and  of  late,  several  highway  robberies 
committed  in  the  environs  of  the  garrison  —  one  the  last 
evening,  in  which  a  gentleman  was  robbed  of  between  7  and 
800  dollars,  and  a  watch.  The  robberies  I  do  not  charge  to 
your  people,  as  it  is  unknown  who  were  the  perpetrators  ; 
but  there  are  several  reasons  to  suspect  it.  All  these,  Sir, 
tend  not  only  to  exasperate  the  troops,  but  to  enrage  the 
inhabitants  of  the  country,  who  view  such  abuses  as  unsuf- 
ferable.  I  therefore  call  upon  you  to  exert  your  endeav 
ours  to  suppress  all  abuses,  as  far  as  in  your  power. 

(Signed)          I  am,  &c. 
Lieut.  Gen.  BURGOYNE."  W.  HEATH. 

Col.  Henley  was  ordered  under  arrest,  and  Col.  Lee  to 
take  command  at  Cambridge  ;  and  the  general  order  of  the 
10th  of  January  announced  — 

"  Lieut.  Gen.  Burgoyne  having  entered  a  complaint 
against  Col.  Henley,  charging  him  with  gross  misconduct 
while  in  command  at  Cambridge  ;  the  honour  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  justice  due  to  an  officer  of  Col.  Henley's 
character,  demand  a  public  inquiry:  for  which  purpose  a 
Court  of  Inquiry  is  to  sit  at  Cambridge  on  Wednesday 
next,  at  10  o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  such  place  as  the 
President  shall  appoint." 

Brigadier-General  GLOVER,  President. 
Col.  M.  Jackson, 


Members. 

Col.  Nixon,  / 

Col.  H.  Jackson,    J 
All  persons  concerned,  to  attend  the  Court. 


142 

Gen.  Burgoyne  found  fault,  that  a  Court  of  Inquiry  only 
was  appointed,  and  not  a  Court-Martial.  He  was  answered, 
that  this  was  frequently  the  case ;  that  it  did  not  preclude 
the  latter ;  and  where  an  officer  of  rank,  and  in  particular 
one  who  had  the  immediate  command  was  the  object,  this 
previous  step  was  both  justifiable  and  proper.  The  Court 
of  Inquiry  met,  and  gave  in  their  opinion ;  and  in  the  gen 
eral  orders  of  January  18th,  the  following  was  announced : 
"  The  Court,  whereof  Brig.  Gen.  Glover  was  President, 
appointed  by  the  orders  of  the  10th  inst.  to  inquire  into  the 
grounds  of  a  complaint  exhibited  by  Lieut.  Gen.  Burgoyne 
again  Col.  Henley,  late  commanding  officer  of  the  Ameri 
can  troops  at  Cambridge — after  mature  consideration  are 
of  opinion,  that  from  the  evidence  offered  on  the  side  of 
Gen.  Burgoyne  against  Col.  Henley,  it  will  be  most  for  the 
honour  of  Col.  Henley,  as  well  as  for  the  satisfaction  of  all 
concerned,  that  the  judgment  of  a  Court-Martial  should  be 
taken  on  his  conduct,  during  his  command  at  Cambridge. 
The  General,  approving  the  opinion  of  the  Court,  or 
ders  that  a  special  general  Court-Martial  sit  on  Tuesday 
next,  at  10  o'clock,  A.  M.  at  the  court-house  in  Cambridge, 
for  the  trial  of  Col.  David  Henley,  late  commanding  officer 
at  that  post,  accused  by  Lieut.  Gen.  Burgoyne  of  a  general 
tenor  of  language  and  conduct  heinously  criminal  as  an  of 
ficer,  and  unbecoming  a  man ;  of  the  most  indecent,  violent, 
vindictive  severity  against  unarmed  men,  and  of  inten 
tional  murder. 

Brigadier-General  GLOVER,  President. 
Col.  Wesson,  Capt.  Langdon,  ] 

Col.  M.  Jackson,  Capt.  Sewall,  g 

Col.  Lee,  Capt.  Hastings,  I    | 

Col.  H.  Jackson,  Lieut.  Col.  Popkin,         j    g* 

Lieut.  Col.  Colnian,  Maj.  Curtis,  2 

Lieut.  Col.  Badlam,  Capt.  Randall,  J 

lrrhese  officers  were  (probably)  Dudley  Coleman,  13th  Mass.;  John 
Popkin,  3rd  Continental  Artillery;  William  Curtis,  Henley's  Additional 
Continentals;  Thomas  Randall,  3rd  Cont.  Art'y;  John  Langdon,  Jack 
son's  Continentals;  Stephen  Sewall  of  Lee's  Add'l  Continentals  (pos 
sibly  Henry,  12th  Mass.);  John  Hastings  of  Lee's;  William  Tudor  was 
Judge  Advocate  General  of  the  Army  at  the  time. 


143 

Lieut.  Col.  Tudor  is  desired  to  act  as  Judge- Advocate. 
All  evidences  and  persons  concerned,  to  attend  the  Court." 

The  Court  met,  and  adjourned  several  times,  through  a 
long,  particular,  and  tedious  trial.  Gen.  Burgoyne  at 
tended,  and  in  a  very  engaged  and  eloquent  manner  said 
every  thing  which  he  judged  proper ;  which,  although  novel 
in  Courts-Martial,  was  yet  permitted. 

The  general  orders  of  the  27th  of  February  announced 
as  follows : 

"Col.  David  Henley,  late  commanding  officer  of  the  post 
at  Cambridge,  tried  at  the  special  general  Court-Martial, 
whereof  Brig.  Gen.  Glover  was  President,  accused  by 
Lieut.  Gen.  Burgoyne  of  a  general  tenor  of  language  and 
conduct  heinously  criminal  as  an  officer,  and  unbecoming 
a  man ;  of  the  most  indecent,  violent,  vindictive  severity 
against  unarmed  men,  and  of  intentional  murder. 

The  Court,  after  mature  consideration,  are  of  opinion 
that  the  charge  against  Col.  Henley  is  not  supported,  and 
that  he  be  discharged  from  his  arrest. 

The  General  approves  the  opinion  of  the  Court;  thanks 
them  for  their  unwearied  endeavours  to  investigate  the 
truth ;  and  orders  Col.  Henley  to  resume  his  command  at 
Cambridge  immediately. 

The  General  thinks  it  to  be  his  duty  on  this  occasion  to 
observe,  that  although  the  conduct  of  Lieut.  Gen.  Bur 
goyne,  (as  prosecutor  against  Col.  Henley)  in  the  course 
of  the  foregoing  trial,  in  his  several  speeches  and  pleas, 
may  be  warranted  by  some  precedents  in  British  Courts- 
Martial,  yet  as  it  is  altogether  novel  in  the  proceedings  of 
any  general  Court-Martial  in  the  army  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  whose  rules  and  articles  of  war  direct  .that  the 
Judge- Advocate-General  shall  prosecute  in  the  name  of  the 
United  States;  and  as  a  different  practice  tends  to  render 
Courts-Martial  both  tedious  and  expensive — he  does 
protest  against  this  instance  being  drawn  into  precedent 
in  future." 


144 

7th. — A  British  soldier  at  Cambridge  stabbed  one  of  the 
American  guard. 

18th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  Gov.  Cook,1  that 
three  frigates  and  twenty-three  sail  of  transports  sailed 
from  Newport,  on  Sunday  the  15th  instant,  standing  to  the 
north-east.  Our  General  received  a  letter  from  the  Presi 
dent  of  Congress,  in  which  he  observed,  "  I  had  the  honour 
of  receiving,  by  Mr.  Closki,  the  5th  instant,  your  favour  of 
the  10th  ult.  including  a  late  correspondence  with  Lieut. 
Gen.  Burgoyne;  these  were  immediately  reported  to  Con 
gress,  and  transmitted  to  the  Board  of  War,  from  whence 
a  report  has  not  yet  ascended ;  therefore  I  have  no  partic 
ular  commands  relative  to  your  said  dispatch.  I  may, 
however,  with  propriety  and  pleasure  intimate,  that  your 
conduct  towards  the  British  General  and  his  dependents 
receives  the  continued  approbation  of  Congress,  if  I  may 
be  permitted  to  make  this  conclusion  from  the  general 
sentiments  of  the  Members." 

23d. — Just  before  noon,  Gen.  Lincoln  arrived  in  Boston 
from  Albany;  his  leg  was  recovering  fast,  but  he  was  still 
very  lame,  and  was  conveyed  from  place  to  place  on  a  move- 
able  bed,  with  handles,  which  was  fixed  on  the  runners  of 
his  sleigh,  with  a  canopy  and  curtains,  and  was  convenient 
also  to  remove  into  the  house,  &c.  In  this  was  blended  in 
genuity  and  convenience. 

28th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  British  trans 
ports,  destined  to  take  away  the  troops  of  the  Convention, 
had  arrived  at  Holmes' s  Hole;  and  the  next  day,  March 
1st,  that  they  had  arrived  at  Cape  Harbour,  Province- 
Town,  Cape  Cod.  But  Gen.  Burgoyne  was  not  now  to  de 
part. 

March  8th. — A  cartel  arrived  from  Cape  Cod,  with  the 
following  letter  to  Gen.  Burgoyne : 

1  Nicholas  Cooke  (1717-1782),  Governor  of  R.  I.,  1775-78. 


145 

Juno,  CAPE  COD  HARBOUR,  4th  March,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

I  take  the  earliest  opportunity,  by  Lieut.  Carter,  in  the 
Haarlem  cartel,  to  inform  you  of  the  arrival  of  the  trans 
ports  under  my  charge,  and  that  I  am  appointed  by  the 
Viscount  Howe,  to  receive  you  and  your  suit  on  board  the 
Juno,  under  my  command,  for  your  conveyance  to  Eng 
land,  when  you  shall  be  at  liberty  to  embark  separately,  or 
together  with  the  troops,  as  you  will  let  me  know  in  return 
to  be  your  intention.  And  I  am  to  acquaint  you  that  I 
will  move  the  Juno  to  Nantasket  Road,  for  facilitating 
Tour  embarkation,  if  you  will  please  to  inform  me  of  your 
having  negotiated  an  agreement  to  such  effect,  upon  faith 
duly  pledged,  that  no  insult  shall  be  offered  in  the  mean 
time  to  any  of  the  ships  of  war,  or  other  ships  and  vessels, 
appointed  for  fulfilling  the  purpose  of  the  Convention,  and 
distinguished  by  flags  of  truce,  in  testimony  of  the  restric 
tion  they  are  under  from  committing  any  acts  of  hostility. 
You  are  otherwise  to  take  your  passage  in  the  Haarlem, 
in  order  to  your  being  received  on  board  the  Juno,  in  Cape 
Cod  Harbour. 

Inclosed  is  a  list  of  the  transports,  with  their  tonnage, 
that  you  may  be  able  to  settle  the  proper  arrangement 
of  the  troops  destined  for  Europe;  for  every  thing  else 
I  refer  you  to  our  meeting  on  board  the  Juno,  where  I  have 
a  number  of  private  letters  for  you,  Gen.  Phillips,  and 
Col.  Kingston,  and  a  large  box  of  letters  for  the  army. 

I  am,  &c. 

(Signed)          HUGH  DALRYMPLE. 
Lieut.  Gen.  BURGOYNE." 

Gen.  Burgoyne  having  written  an  answer  to  Capt. 
Dalrymple,  and  submitted  it  for  inspection,  requested  our 
General  to  send  it  down  by  the  cartel ;  which  he  did  under 
the  following  cover: 


146 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  March  10,  1778. 

"  SIR, 

Inclosed  are  sundry  letters  from  Lieut.  Gen.  Bur- 
goyne,  by  which  you  will  learn  his  present  situation. 

Although  I  wish  on  every  occasion  to  extend  the  ut 
most  generosity  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  army,  yet  to  al 
low  letters  to  pass  unopened  would  be  betraying  the  trust 
reposed  in  me.  Therefore  any  idea  of  granting  such  an  in 
dulgence  cannot  be  admitted. 

If  any  advantage  in  the  economy  of  expense  to  the 
government  of  Great  Britain  may  be  derived  from  land 
ing  any  overplus  of  provisions  from  the  fleet,  for  the  use  of 
the  troops  of  the  Convention,  I  have  not  the  least  objection 
to  it;  but  wish  you  would  ascertain  the  matter  as  soon  as 
possible. 

I  rest  assured  that  whilst  your  vessels  enjoy  perfect 
security  under  the  sanction  of  their  flags,  not  the  least  mo 
lestation  or  inconvenience  will  happen  to  any  of  our  ves 
sels  or  inhabitants. 

I  do  myself  the  pleasure  to  send  down  to  the  flag  a  tur 
key,  sent  here  by  Gen.  Burgoyne. 

I  am,  &c. 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH. 

Capt.  DALRYMPLE." 

Many  people  having  grown  jealous  that  the  troops  of  the 
Convention  had  collected  and  secreted  arms  in  the  bar 
racks,  they  could  not  be  quieted  until  the  matter  was  ascer 
tained;  and  on  the  18th,  our  General  ordered  a  strict 
search  to  be  made,  wrhen  nothing  was  found  but  the  offi 
cer's  fusees,  to  which  by  the  Convention  they  had  a  right. 
A  wag,  coming  from  the  barracks,  was  asked  if  anything 
was  found;  he  answered,  "Yes — in  one  of  the  rooms  a 
large  brass  mortar."  This  spread,  and  was  alarming  to  be 
sure.  *The  fact  was,  that  in  one  of  the  rooms  there  was  a 
large  bell-metal  pestle  and  mortar,  for  family  use.  Jeal- 


147 

ousy,  like  the  other  passions,  although  a  virtue  in  itself, 
may  exceed  its  bounds ;  and  when  it  does,  "  trifles,  light  as 
air,  to  jealous  minds  are  strong  as  proofs  of  holy  writ." 

Capt.  Dalrymple  wrote  to  Gen.  Burgoyne  again,  on  the 
15th,  and  proposed  to  put  the  spare  provisions  on  board 
one  of  the  flags,  and  send  them  up  to  Boston  harbour. 

But  on  the  23d,  Capt.  Braithwait  of  the  Centurion  wrote 
the  General  that  he  had  arrived  with  orders  from  Viscount 
Howe  for  the  men-of-war  and  transports  with  the  provis 
ions  on  board  them  to  return  to  Rhode  Island,  which  they 
did  accordingly. 

7th. — General  Lincoln  left  Boston  for  Hingham;  our 
General  accompanied  him  as  far  as  Milton. 

12th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  a  40  gun  ship  had 
arrived  at  New  London  laden  with  with  clothing  for  the 
United  States. 

18th. — A  detachment  of  Col.  Henley's  regiment  marched 
out  of  Boston  for  the  army. 

19th. — Gen.  Burgoyne  having  again  applied  to  Congress 
for  leave  to  go  to  England  himself,  they  now  gave  him  lib 
erty.  This  was  joyous  to  the  General,  and  he  wrote  our 
General  that  he  had  assured  himself  that  there  would  be 
nothing  thrown  in  the  way  on  his  part,  and  wished  for  his 
passports.  The  President  of  Congress,  in  his  letter  to  our 
General,  by  the  same  express,  informed  him  that  it  was 
late  in  the  evening  when  the  resolve,  granting  Gen.  Bur 
goyne  leave  to  depart,  passed,  and  nothing  was  said  re 
specting  the  settlement  of  the  accounts  before  his  depart 
ure;  but  that  it  was  fully  his  opinion  that  the  former  re 
solve  should  be  strictly  observed ;  for  Congress  had  before 
resolved,  that  neither  he  nor  the  troops  of  the  Convention 
should  depart,  before  the  accounts  were  settled  and  paid. 
Our  General,  therefore,  told  Gen.  Burgoyne  that  this  must 
first  be  done?  and  that  then  he  should  meet  with  no  delay : 
on  this  he  hesitated,  and  then  asked  how  the  accounts  were 
to  be  settled?  He  was  answered — Strictly  conformable  to 
the  resolves  of  Congress.  He  then  asked  if  Congress  could 


148 

be  serious  in  their  resolution,  requiring  in  specie  the  same 
sum  which  they  had  expended  in  paper  money.  Our  Gen 
eral  replied  that  he  supposed  that  honourable  body  were  ser 
ious  in  all  their  resolutions.  He  then  replied  that  this  was 
unjust,  for  the  odds  was  double ;  and  appealed  to  our  Gen 
eral  to  say  whether  he  thought  it  just  himself :  Our  Gen 
eral  answered,  that  as  an  executive  officer,  it  was  not  for 
him  to  judge  or  determine  whether  the  orders  of  his  super 
iors  were  just  or  not.  General  Burgoyne  replied  that  was 
true.  He  was  then  told,  that  if  he  did  not  choose  to  pay  for 
the  supplies,  the  act  allowed  him  to  replace  them,  in  qual 
ity  and  quantity ;  and  this  seemed  to  remove  his  objections. 
After  further  discussion  the  two  Generals  pledged  their 
faith  and  sacred  honour  to  each  other,  in  which  they  both 
had  the  fullest  confidence,  that  Gen.  Burgoyne  should  pro 
ceed  to  Rhode  Island,  accompanied  by  such  officers  as  our 
General  might  think  proper  to  send,  to  whom  Gen.  Bur 
goyne  should  pay  in  specie  the  amount  of  supplies  fur 
nished  in  the  Quarter-Master's  department;  and  that  he 
should  forward  in  vessels  bearing  flags,  provisions  of  the 
different  species  they  had  received,  within  a  certain  num 
ber  of  days  stipulated ;  that  no  advantage  should  be  taken 
by  delay  occasioned  by  stress  of  weather;  that  a  box  of 
gold,  as  a  pledge  for  any  deficiencies  in  the  provisions, 
should  be  deposited  with  our  General,  the  balance  of  which, 
after  the  full  settlement  of  the  accounts,  to  be  paid  to  the 
senior  officer  of  the  troops  of  the  Convention. 

April  2d. — Gen.  Burgoyne  came  into  Boston,  and  dined 
at  head-quarters ;  and  before  he  took  leave  of  our  General, 
observed,  "  I  know  your  situation,  Sir,  and  the  difficulty 
of  obtaining  many  foreign  necessaries  you  may  want  or 
wish.  If  you  will  give  me  a  memorandum,  on  my  arrival 
in  England  I  will  with  great  pleasure  forward  them  to 
you."  Our  General  thanked  him  for  his  politeness,  but  was 
careful  not  to  mention  any,  choosing  rather  to  suffer  with 
his  fellow-countrymen  the  necessities  of  the  times,  than  to 
avail  himself  of  so  exclusive  a  favour. 


149 

5th. — Between  11  and  12  o'clock  General  Burgoyne  left 
Cambridge  for  Rhode  Island,  accompanied  by  Colonel 
Pollard  and  Samuel  Barrett,  Esq. 

8th. — The  Raleigh  frigate,  it  was  learnt,  had  arrived  at 
Portsmouth,  (N.  H.) 

A  part  of  the  Convention  troops  were  ordered  to  be  re 
moved  to  Rutland,  in  the  county  of  Worcester,  and  tem 
porary  barracks  were  erected  for  the  purpose. 

15th. — A  division  of  the  Convention  troops  marched  for 
Rutland  under  escort  of  a  detachment  of  militia,  com 
manded  by  Major  Read.  Our  General  received  a  letter 
from  the  President  of  Congress,  dated  the  4th  instant,  in 
which  he  observed,  "  Yesterday  I  had  the  honour  of  pre 
senting  to  Congress  your  favours  of  the  21st  and  24th  of 
March;  and,  although  I  have  received  no  particular  com 
mands  relative  to  their  several  contents,  I  am  warranted 
by  the  general  voice  of  Members  to  intimate,  that  you  have 
received  the  applause  of  the  House  for  your  determination 
respecting  the  adjustment  of  accounts  with  General  Bur 
goyne." 

18th. — Mr.  Barrett  returned  from  Rhode  Island,  accom 
panied  by  a  British  Commissary,  Major  Morrison,  who  was 
sent  on  by  Gen.  Pigot,  to  negotiate  a  plan  for  the  future 
supply  of  the  troops  of  the  Convention. 

19th. — About  2  o'clock  P.  M.  a  wagon  arrived  from 
Rhode  Island  with  a  large  sum  of  money,  received  in  dis 
charge  of  the  accounts,  and  for  the  troops  of  the  Conven 
tion. 

The  same  day,  Mr.  Dean1  arrived  from  France,  with  the 
highly  important  intelligence  that  the  Court  of  France 
had  acknowledged  the  Independency  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  and  a  treaty  of  alliance  was  concluded. 

22d. — Five  sail  of  victuallers  arrived  in  the  lower  har 
bour  from  Rhode  Island,  with  provisions,  for  a  replace  of 
those  supplied  the  troops  of  the  Convention. 

1  Silas  Deane. 


150 

28th. — The  British  hand-bill  for  quieting  America,  as  it 
was  called,  was  received  at  Boston.  It  was  forwarded 
from  Connecticut,  where  it  had  been  sent  by  Governor 
Tryon — Governor  Trumbull  had  made  a  most  magnani 
mous  reply. 

30th. — A  valuable  prize  was  sent  into  Boston,  laden  with 
dry  goods,  teas,  flour,  &c. 

May  4th. — Several  French  ships  had  arrived  with  goods 
and  stores  from  France  for  the  United  States. 

5th. — The  French  frigate  Nymphe,  Capt.  Senneville,  ar 
rived  in  Boston  harbour,  and  sailed  out  again  on  the  16th. 

23d. — Certain  intelligence  was  received,  that  the  French 
Ambassador  left  England  about  the  20th  of  the  preceding 
March,  and  that  the  English  Ambassador  had  returned  to 
England. 

30th. — The  British  made  an  excursion  to  Tiverton  and 
Little  Compton,  and  did  some  damage. 

Our  General  concluded  with  Gen.  Pigot  a  system  for  the 
future  supply  of  the  troops  of  the  Convention,  by  sending 
provisions  from  Khode  Island.  This  mode  tended  to  the 
increase  of  provisions  in  the  States,  and  the  easier  supply 
of  our  own  troops.  The  plan  was  submitted  to  Congress, 
who  were  pleased  to  honour  it  with  their  approbation, 
which  they  expressed  in  the  following  resolution: 

In  CONGRESS,  May  22d,  1778. 

"  Resolved,  That  Congress  approve  of  Maj.  Gen.  Heath's 
conduct  relative  to  the  proposals  made  by  Maj.  Gen.  Pigot, 
for  supplying  with  provisions  the  troops  who  surrendered 
prisoners  under  the  Convention  of  Saratoga. 

That  the  President  be  directed  to  inform  Maj.  Gen. 
Heath,  that  Congress  expect  that  all  assistance  afforded 
to  the  enemy,  in  unloading,  storing,  or  transporting  pro 
visions  for  the  support  of  the  Convention  prisoners,  be  paid 
for  in  solid  coin,  agreeably  to  the  spirit  of  their  resolution 
of  the  19th  of  December  last." 

The  Convention  troops  complained  exceedingly  of  this 


151 

discrimination  in  payment,  because  it  was  notorious  that 
there  was  a  considerable  difference  between  paper  money 
and  specie ;  indeed,  at  first  view,  it  seems  scarcely  reconci 
lable  on  the  principles  of  justice  and  equity;  but  when  the 
grounds  on  which  the  resolve  of  the  19th  of  Dec.  1777  is 
predicated  are  considered,  it  seems  to  place  the  matters  in 
a  different  light. — It  is  expressed  as  follows : — 

In  CONGRESS,,  Dec.  9th,  1777. 

"  Whereas  Sir  William  Howe,  Commander  in  Chief  of 
his  Britannic  Majesty's  forces,  has  required  that  provis 
ions  should  be  sent  in,  for  the  subsistence  of  the  American 
prisoners  in  his  possession,  and  for  the  purchase  of  such 
necessaries  as  they  may  stand  in  need  of,  and  has  prohib 
ited  the  circulation  of  the  money  struck  by  the  authority 
of  these  States,  within  such  parts  of  the  country  as  are  at 
present  subjected  to  his  power,  whereby  great  difficulties 
have  occurred  in  relieving  the  distresses  of  the  American 
prisoners;  and  whereas  large  sums  of  continental  bills  of 
credit  have  been  counterfeited  and  issued  by  the  agents, 
emissaries  and  abettors  of  Sir  W.  Howe, — 

Resolved,  That  the  accounts  of  all  provisions  and  other 
necessaries,  which  already  have  been,  or  which  hereafter 
may  be  supplied  by  the  public  to  prisoners  in  the  power  of 
these  States,  shall  be  discharged  by  either  receiving  from 
the  British  Commissary  of  Prisoners,  or  any  of  his  agents, 
provisions  or  other  necessaries  equal  in  quantity  and  kind 
to  what  have  been  supplied ;  or  the  amount  thereof  in  gold 
or  silver,  at  the  rate  of  four  shillings  and  six-pence  sterling 
for  every  dollar  of  the  currency  of  these  States;  and  that 
all  these  accounts  be  liquidated  and  discharged,  previous 
to  the  release  of  any  prisoners  to  whom  provisions  or  other 
necessaries  shall  have  been  supplied. 

Extract  from  the  Minutes. 

(Signed)  C.  THOMSON." 

By  the  foregoing  it  appears  that  the  British  were  allowed 


152 

to  replace  any  and  all  the  supplies  which  were  furnished 
to  them,  and  in  that  way  might  make  all  the  savings  in 
their  power ;  and  certainly  they  ought  to  be  checked,  if  they 
attempted  to  destroy  that  currency  on  which  the  States 
had  solely  to  rely  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  which  had 
been  forced  upon  them  by  this  same  power. 

June  17th. — A  British  officer  was  shot  by  an  American 
centinel  on  Prospect  Hill,  the  officer  attempting  to  pass, 
contrary  to  the  standing  orders.  The  centinel  was  imme 
diately  relieved  and  put  under  guard,  and  as  soon  as  the  of 
ficial  account  of  the  event  was  received  by  our  General,  he 
wrote  the  following  letter  to  Gen.  Phillips : 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  June  17, 1778, 
u  gm  8  o'clock,  P.  M. 

I  am  at  this  moment  informed  than  an  officer  of  the 
Convention  has  been  shot  by  one  of  our  sentries.  I  have  or 
dered  the  man  into  close  confinement,  and  have  directed 
the  Town-Major  to  desire  the  Coroner  of  the  county  of  Mid 
dlesex  to  summon  a  Jury  of  Inquiry  to  sit  on  the  body ;  and 
I  desire  that  it  may  not  be  removed  until  that  step  be 
taken.  I  can  only  say,  Sir,  that  you  may  be  assured  that  I 
will  take  every  step  in  my  power  which  honour  and  justice 
require. 

Your  letters  of  this  date  were  handed  to  me  by  the  per 
son  who  brought  the  disagreeable  news  of  the  officer's  be 
ing  shot.  I  will  answer  them  to-morrow. 

I  am,  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH. 

Maj.  Gen.  PHILLIPS/-' 

A  few  minutes  after  our  General  had  sent  his  letter,  he 
received  the  following  from  Gen.  Phillips : 

CAMBRIDGE,  June  17,  1778. 

"  Murder  and  death  has  at  length  taken  place.  An  offi 
cer,  riding  out  from  the  barracks  on  Prospect  Hill,  has 
been  shot  by  an  American  centinel.  I  leave  the  horrors 
incident  to  that  bloody  disposition,  which  has  joined  itself 


153 

to  rebellion  in  these  Colonies,  to  the  feelings  of  all  Europe. 
I  do  not  ask  for  justice,  for  I  believe  every  principle  of  it 
is  fled  from  this  Province. 

I  demand  liberty  to  send  an  officer  to  Gen.  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  by  way  of  the  head-quarters  of  Gen.  Washington, 
with  my  report  of  this  murder. 

(Signed)        W.  PHILLIPS,  Maj.  Gen. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

The  next  morning  our  General  wrote  the  following  to 
Gen.  Phillips: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,,  BOSTON,  June  18, 1778. 
"  SIR, 

Immediately  upon  my  receiving  the  disagreeable  re 
port,  the  last  evening,  that  an  officer  of  the  Convention  had 
been  shot  by  an  American  centinel,  and  that  the  centinel 
was  confined,  I  ordered  him  to  be  closely  kept  so,  and  the 
Coroner  of  the  county  of  Middlesex  to  be  certified,  that  a 
Jury  of  Inquiry  •might  be  summoned  to  sit  on  the  body  of 
the  officer.  Decency  and  the  utmost  attention,  in  any  coun 
try,  could  not  have  done  more.  A  few  minutes  after  I  had 
dispatched  the  officer  with  the  foregoing  orders,  I  received 
your  letter,  couched  in  such  terms  that  I  am  at  a  loss  what 
epithets  to  give  it.  Were  it  even  certain  that  the  shooting 
of  the  officer  was  an  act  of  the  most  deliberate  wilful 
murder,  why  should  you  charge  these  free  independent 
States  with  a  bloody  disposition  and  with  rebellion,  and 
this  State  in  particular  as  void  of  every  principle  of  jus 
tice?  Although  I  ever  had  and  still  have  a  personal  regard 
for  you,  and  wish  in  every  respect  to  treat  you  with  the 
utmost  generosity  yet  that  duty  which  I  owe  to  the  hon 
our  and  dignity  of  the  United  States  will  not  allow  me  to 
pass  unnoticed  such  expressions  as  are  contained  in  your 
letter;  and  I  cannot  put  any  other  interpretation  upon 
them,  than  that  they  are  a  violent  infraction  of  your  pa 
role,  most  sacredly  given.  I  do  conceive  it  to  be  my  duty, 


154 

and  I  do  hereby  restrict  you  to  the  limits  of  your  house, 
gardens  and  yard,  and  to  the  direct  road  from  your  quar 
ters  to  the  quarters  of  the  troops  of  the  Convention,  on 
Prospect  and  Winter  Hills;  expecting  from  you  a  parole, 
for  propriety  of  conduct  within  those  limits ;  which  if  you 
refuse,  I  shall  be  under  the  necessity  of  ordering  you  to 
narrower  limits,  until  I  can  obtain  the  pleasure  of  the 
Honourable  the  Congress,  touching  this  matter,  to  whom 
I  shall  transmit  your  letter,  and  crave  their  directions. 

As  to  your  demand  of  liberty  for  an  officer  to  proceed 
to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  with  a  'report  of  this  murder/  as 
you  are  pleased  to  express  yourself,  I  have  only  to  reply, 
that  as  soon  as  the  Coroner  has  taken  an  inquisition,  in 
which  all  the  evidence  respecting  this  unhappy  affair  will 
be  contained,  I  shall  transmit  a  copy  thereof  to  Congress; 
and  I  shall  have  no  objection  to  your  sending  a  copy  also 
to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  by  way  of  the  head-quarters  of  his 
Excellency  General  Washington,  (if  his  Excellency  should 
approve  of  it)  together  with  any  just  and  decent  represen 
tations  which  you  may  think  necessary  to  make  on  this  oc 
casion  or  any  other,  after  I  have  examined  such  letters ;  but 
as  to  an  officer's  going  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  it  is  alto 
gether  unnecessary — so  you  will  please  to  excuse  my  re 
fusal  of  it.  I  am,  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH,  Major-General. 

P.  S.  I  shall  not  at  this  time  comment  on  the  indelicate 
manner  in  which  your  letter  is  addressed. 
Maj.  Gen.  PHILLIPS/' 

"  I,  William  Phillips,  Major-General  and  senior  officer 
of  the  troops  under  the  restrictions  of  the  Convention  of 
Saratoga,  do  promise  and  engage,  on  my  word  and  honour, 
and  on  the  faith  of  a  gentleman,  to  remain  in  the  quarters 
now  assigned  to  me  in  Cambridge,  in  the  State  of  Massa 
chusetts  Bay,  and  at  no  time  to  exceed  or  pass  the  limits  of 
the  gardens  and  yards  adjoining  and  belonging  to  said 
quarters,  except  in  the  road  by  the  nearest  and  most 


155 

direct  route  from  my  said  quarters  to  Prospect  and  Winter 
Hills,  and  the  limits  of  said  hills  within  the  chain  of  sen 
tries — until  it  shall  be  permitted  or  ordered  otherwise  by 
the  Continental  General  commanding  in  this  State,  his  Ex 
cellency  General  Washington,  or  the  Honourable  Congress 
of  the  United  States  of  America;  and  that  I  will  not,  di 
rectly  or  indirectly,  give  any  intelligence  to  the  enemies  of 
the  said  United  States,  or  either  of  them,  or  do  or  say  any 
thing  in  opposition  to  or  in  prejudice  of  the  measures  and 
proceedings  of  any  Congress  for  the  said  States,  during 
my  continuance  here  as  aforesaid,  or  until  I  am  duly  ex 
changed  or  discharged. 

Given  under  my  hand  at  Cambridge,  this  eighteenth  day 
of  June,  1778." 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  June  18,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

You  will  immediately  repair  to  Cambridge,  and  wait 
upon  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips:  present  him  the  letter  addressed 
to  him.  After  he  has  read  the  letter,  present  the  pa 
role;  if  he  signs  it,  well;  if  he  refuses,  you  will  please  to 
inform  him,  that  in  consequence  of  the  indecent,  dis 
honourable,  and  highly  insulting  expressions  in  his  letter 
of  yesterday,  against  the  honour  and  dignity  of  the  Free, 
Sovereign,  and  Independent  States  of  America,  and  in 
prejudice  of  the  measures  and  proceedings  of  the  Honour 
able  the  Congress — as  it  is  my  d)uty,  so  it  is  my  express  or 
ders,  that  he,  the  saidMaj.  Gen.  Phillips, be  restricted  to  the 
limits  of  his  house,  yards  and  gardens,  beyond  which  he  is 
not  to  pass,  until  it  be  otherwise  ordered ;  and  that  you  im 
mediately  plant  and  continue  by  relief  so  many  sentries  as 
may  be  necessary  to  prevent  his  exceeding  those  limits. 
You  will  give  orders  that  the  sentries  so  planted  observe 
a  strict  decorum  and  soldier-like  behaviour,  avoiding  in 
sult,  and  behaving  with  becoming  dignity.  After  which, 


156 

you  will  wait  on  the  next  senior  officer,  and  acquaint  him 
of  Gen.  Phillips  being  confined. 

I  am,  Sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH,  Maj.  Gen. 
Lieut.  Col.  POLLARD,  Dep.  Adj.  General." 

The  same  day  Gen.  Phillips  wrote  our  General  as  fol 
lows: 

CAMBRIDGE,  June  18, 1778,  3  o'clock,  P.  M. 
"  SIR, 

Lieut.  Brown  of  the  21st  regiment,  who  was  shot  yes 
terday  by  an  American  centinel,  died  about  midnight  in  the 
last  night. 

I  am  informed  some  person,  whom  you  have  sent  to  ex 
amine  the  body,  is  now  doing  it;  and,  as  I  suppose  every 
inspection  of  that  sort  will  be  over  by  to-morrow,  I  would 
propose  to  bury  the  corpse  to-morrow  evening.  I  am  to  de 
sire  to  know  if  you  have  any  objection,  and  whether  you 
have  any  particular  intentions  relating  to  the  body  of  the 
murdered  officer.  If  it  is  to  be  allowed  Christian  burial, 
I  would  wish  to  deposit  it  in  the  vault  appropriated  for 
strangers,  in  the  Protestant  church  at  Cambridge.  In  this 
case,  I  am  to  desire  you  will  give  the  necessary  permission 
for  this  purpose,  and  allow  a  sufficient  number  of  men  from 
the  barracks  to  assist  in  carrying  down  the  corpse  from  the 
barracks  to  the  church. 

As  I  am  totally  ignorant  to  whom  it  may  be  necessary 
to  apply  for  leave  to  open  the  church,  it  obliges  me  to  give 
you  this  trouble ;  and  I  hope,  if  permission  is  granted,  that 
it  may  be  done  so  fully  as  will  prevent  the  sanguinary  peo 
ple  of  this  country  from  insulting  and  treating  with  indig 
nity  the  dead  body  of  the  unfortunate  officer,  who,  in  their 
rage,  revengeful  tempers,  and  barbarity,  they  have  put  to 
death.  I  am,  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

(Signed)  W.  PHILLIPS. 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 


157 

To  this  letter  the  following  was  returned: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  June  19, 1778. 
"  SIR, 

Yours  of  yesterday  afternoon  was  handed  me  the  last 
evening;  1  most  sincerely  regret  the  unfortunate  death  of 
Lieut.  Brown. 

As  I  apprehend  the  Coroner  has  taken  his  inquisi 
tion,  or  will  do  it  this  morning — which  is  in  conformity  to 
the  laws  of  the  land  in  that  case  made  and  provided,  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  investigating  the  truth  of  facts — you 
not  only  have  my  permission,  but  request,  that  every  mark 
of  respect  may  be  paid  to  the  corpse  of  the  deceased;  and 
you  have  my  permission  also  for  such  a  number  of  non 
commissioned  officers  and  privates  to  attend,  as  may  be 
necessary  to  bear  the  corpse  from  the  funeral  house  to  the 
place  of  interment. 

I  do  not  know  under  whose  direction  the  church  at 
Cambridge  now  is;  but  I  have  given  orders  to  Maj.  Hop 
kins  and  the  Town-Major  to  afford  every  kind  of  assis 
tance  in  their  power,  and  to  inquire  who  has  the  direction, 
and  to  obtain  permission.  I  have  also  given  orders  that 
decency  be  exhibited  by  our  troops  during  the  time  of  pro 
cession  of  interment,  which  the  solemnity  of  so  mournful 
an  occasion  points  out  as  the  duty  of  rational  beings ;  and 
from  the  universal  respectful  behaviour  of  the  people  of 
this  country  on  such  occasions,  you  may  be  sure  that  not 
the  least  insult  will  be  offered. 

I  am,  Sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH. 

Maj.  Gen.  PHILLIPS." 

19th. — Gen.  Phillips  wrote  another  letter,  as  follows: 

CAMBRIDGE,  June  19th,  1778. 
"  SIR, 
I  shall  1  not  animadvert  upon,  nor  answer  any  part  of 


158 

your  letter  of  yesterday,  except  what  relates  to  your  mean 
ing  to  restrict  me  to  my  house,  garden  and  yards,  and  to 
the  direct  road  from  iny  quarters  to  the  quarters  of  the 
troops  of  the  Convention  on  Prospect  and  Winter  Hills, 
and  requiring  my  signing  a  new  parole  for  my  propriety  of 
conduct  within  those  limits. 

When  by  the  treaty  of  Convention  of  Saratoga  the  offi 
cers  were  to  be  admitted  on  parole,  it  was  clearly  intended 
that  a  liberal  interpretation  was  to  be  given  of  that  agree 
ment  ;  and,  to  use  your  own  words,  generous  limits  were  to 
be  granted.  I  will  not  deny  that  the  limits  have  been  suffi 
cient. 

I  apprehend,  Sir,  that  under  no  sense  or  explanation 
of  the  treaty,  the  officers  were  to  be  denied  intercourse  with 
the  soldiers — indeed,  there  is  an  article  particularly  on 
that  point;  and  by  restricting  me  to  my  quarters,  allowing 
me  only  the  passage  to  the  barracks  by  the  direct  road,  you 
would  have  certainly  have  restricted  me  as  you  have  done 
several  other  officers,  from  whom  you  have  taken  the  bene 
fit  of  their  parole,  allowing  for  the  distinction  of  my  rank, 
having  obtained  a  quarter  instead  of  a  barrack :  it  seemed 
therefore  a  very  extraordinary  proposal  made  to  me  that 
I  should  sign  a  parole  under  a  restriction  which  deprived 
me  of  any  advantage  arising  from  my  giving  one,  according 
to  the  article  on  that  subject  in  the  treaty  of  Convention 
of  Saratoga;  and  on  this  consideration  I  refused  it. 

You  have,  Sir,  made  me  a  prisoner  in  my  quarters,  un 
der  a  guard,  and  I  am  perfectly  at  ease  about  it — shall  bear 
it,  Sir,  and  any  other  violence  of  power  which  may  happen 
to  me,  with  more  patience  than  you  may  suppose.  I  am 
very  regardless  about  insults  and  injuries  done  me  per 
sonally — I  feel  only,  and  then  severely,  when  any  are  of 
fered  to  the  troops  I  command. 

But,  Sir,  you  attempt  at  much  more  than  restricting 
my  person ;  for  in  a  paper  sent  me  this  day,  being  your  in 
structions  to  Lieut.  Col.  Pollard,  dated  June  18,  1778,  you 
direct  him,  after  he  has  planted  centinels  around  my  quar- 


159 

ters,  that  he  is  'to  wait  on  the  next  senior  officer,  and  ac 
quaint  him  of  General  Phillips  being  confined.'  I  am  to 
inform  you,  Sir,  that,  bearing  the  King's  commission,  I 
shall  consider  myself  senior  officer  of  the  troops  of  the 
Convention ;  and  every  officer  of  them  will  obey  my  orders 
as  far  as  their  present  situation  will  allow.  You  may  con 
fine  my  person,  but  you  cannot  have  power  to  take  from 
me  my  military  place,  nor  my  connexion  with  the  Conven 
tion  troops — it  is  too  extravagant  an  idea  to  suppose  you 
capable  of ;  so  little  can  it  be  in  the  power  of  an  individual 
to  deprive  me  of  the  commission  I  hold,  that  were  these 
Colonies  really  acknowledged  Independent  and  Sovereign 
States,  it  would  not  be  in  the  power  of  their  government  to 
deprive  an  officer  of  another  nation  of  his  military  com 
mission,  how  far  soever  they  might  stretch  and  extend  their 
power  over  his  person.  But,  Sir,  I  must  be  allowed  to  de 
clare,  that  until  the  Colonies  are  acknowledged  by  Great 
Britain  to  be  Independent  Sovereign  States,  I  cannot  view 
them  in  any  other  light  than  that  in  which  they  are  con 
sidered  by  Great  Britain. 

As  you  will  not  allow  me  to  send  an  officer  to  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  I  must  request  to  take  advantage  of  your  express 
for  sending  my  report  and  representations  to  him;  and  I 
will  beg  to  know  when  I  must  send  you  my  letters. 

I  am,  Sir, 
Your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 

(Signed)  W.  PHILLIPS. 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH/' 

To  which  the  following  answer  was  returned  the  next 
day: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,,  BOSTON,  June  20,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

Another  of  your  favours  of  yesterday  was  handed  to 
me  this  morning.  You  may  be  assured  that  the  reason  of 
my  restricting  you  to  your  quarters,  the  day  before  yester- 


160 

day,  was  personally  no  agreeable  service.  Duty  to  the  hon 
our  and  dignity  of  my  country  made  it  indispensably 
necessary.  Apprehending  that  so  great  a  restriction  from 
your  former  limits  as  I  pointed  out,  might  be  construed  by 
you  a  dissolution  of  your  parole,  I  thought  it  necessary  and 
also  reasonable  that  you  should  give  a  new  one.  I  wished 
that  you  might  retain  your  quarters,  and  at  the  same  time 
have  a  free  intercourse  with  the  troops  who  are  quartered 
at  a  distance  from  you ;  this  distance  is  so  considerable  that 
a  parole  is  necessary.  I  acknowledge  that  by  the  Conven 
tion,  you  are  to  be  admitted  on  parole,  and  this  parole  is  for 
propriety  of  conduct  under  such  admittance ;  but  that  pa 
role  being  forfeited,  by  misconduct,  ceases  to  be,  and  con 
finement  in  proportion  to  the  offence,  no  breach  of  the  Con 
vention,  but  fully  justifiable  upon  every  principle  of  reason 
and  justice. 

It  was  never  in  my  idea  to  take  away  your  commission, 
or  dissolve  your  connexion  with  the  troops  of  the  Conven 
tion;  but,  while  under  confinement,  your  power  of  acting 
might  with  propriety  be  suspended,  so  far  as  respected  the 
transacting  of  public  business  between  myself  and  you; 
but  personal  regard  has  prevented  my  going  that  length, 
any  further  than  to  notify  the  next  officer  of  your  con 
finement. 

I  do  not  insist  that  you,  as  an  officer  in  the  British 
army,  are  obliged  to  view  the  Free,  Independent  and  Sov 
ereign  States  of  America  in  any  other  light  than  they  are 
acknowledged  by  the  government  whose  service  you  are 
in.  But,  under  your  present  situation  and  circumstances, 
I  do  insist  that  you  shall  not  openly  insult  the  honour  and 
dignity  of  these  States  with  impunity. 

I  am,  Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)       W.  HEATH,  Major-General. 
Maj.  Gen.  PHILLIPS." 


161 

"  Middlesex,  ss. 

An  inquest  taken  at  Cambridge,  within  the  said 
county  of  Middlesex,  -on  the  18th  of  June,  A.  D.  1778,  be 
fore  Joel  Smith,  one  of  the  Coroners  for  the  county  afore 
said,  upon  view  of  the  body  of  Lieut.  Richard  Brown,  one 
of  the  British  officers  ( Charlestown,  in  the  county  afore 
said)  then  and  there  being  dead,  by  oaths  of  William 
Howe,  Benjamin  Lock,  John  Brown,  Ebenezer  Steadman, 
Samuel  Manning,  Nathaniel  Austin,  Joseph  Read, 
jun.,  James  Hill,  Thomas  Barret,  Benjamin  Bar 
ker,  Aaron  Hill,  Isaac  Bradish,  James  Munro, 
Joseph  Johnson,  good  and  lawful  men  of  Cam 
bridge  aforesaid,  who  being  charged  and  sworn  to  inquire 
for  the  sake  of  the  government  and  people  of  the  Massa 
chusetts  Bay,  when,  and  by  what  means,  and  how  the  said 
Richard  Brown  came  to  his  death — upon  their  oath  do 
say,  that  the  said  Richard  Brown  was  shot  with  a  fire-arm 
by  the  centinel  in  Charlestown,  near  Prospect  Hill,  be 
tween  the  hours  of  five  and  six  P.  M.  on  the  17th  day  of 
June,  A.  D.  1778,  in  attempting  to  pass  the  centinel  with 
two  women,  after  being  properly  challenged  by  said  centi 
nel — and  so  came  to  death. 

JOEL  SMITH,  Coroner. 
Nathaniel  Austin,  James  Munro, 

Joseph  Read,  jun.  Joseph  Johnson, 

James  Hill,  William  Howe, 

Thomas  Barret,  Benjamin  Lock, 

Benjamin  Barker,  John  Brown, 

Aaron  Hill,  Ebenezer  Steadman, 

Isaac  Bradish,  Samuel  Manning, 

CAMBRIDGE,  June  18,  1778." 

Extract  of  a   letter  from  Major-General   HEATH   to   the 
President  of  Congress,  dated   Head-Quarters,    Boston, 
June  19,  1778: 
"  Since  my  last,  of  the  9th  instant,  I  have  received  the 

honour  of  yours  of  the  23d,  by  Capt.  Nevers. 


162 

The  day  before  yesterday,  one  of  our  centinels,  posted 
at  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill,  shot  a  Lieut.  Richard  Brown, 
of  the  troops  of  the  Convention,  for  not  stopping  when  re 
peatedly  challenged,  as  he  was  riding  out  of  the  lines  with 
two  women.  The  orders  given  to  the  centinels  being  not  to 
allow  any  officer  without  side-arms,  or  non-commissioned 
officer,  private  soldier,  woman  or  child,  without  a  written 
passport,  to  pass  the  chain  of  sentries.  Immediately  upon 
my  receiving  the  report  of  the  officer's  being  shot,  and  that 
the  centinel  was  confined,  I  gave  orders  for  his  being  kept 
so,  and  notice  to  be  given  to  the  Coroner  of  the  county  of 
Middlesex,  that  a  Jury  of  Inquest  might  sit  on  the  body 
for  the  investigation  of  the  truth  of  facts;  at  the  same  time 
I  wrote  to  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips — I  do  myself  the  honour  to 
inclose  copy  thereof,  No.  1;  a  few  minutes  after,  I  received 
a  paper  from  him,  No.  2 ;  the  next  morning  I  again  wrote 
him,  No.  3 ;  and  a  parole,  No.  4 ;  and  gave  Col.  Pollard  writ 
ten  orders  for  the  delivery  thereof,  No.  5.  Gen.  Phillips 
refusing  to  sign  the  parole,  Col.  Pollard,  in  obedience  to  my 
orders,  restricted  him  to  the  limits  therein  mentioned,  and 
planted  three  centinels  around  the  house  and  gardens;  in 
which  state  matters  now  remain." 

In  CONGRESS,  July  7,  1778. 

"  Resolved,  That  Congress  approve  of  Maj.  Gen.  Heath's 
conduct  respecting  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips,  consequent  upon 
the  death  of  Lieut.  Richard  Brown,  of  the  troops  of  the 
Convention. 

Extract  from  the  Minutes. 

CHARLES  THOMSON,  Secretary." 

The  whole  of  the  foregoing  correspondence  was  pub 
lished  by  order  of  Congress ;  and  our  General  was  informed 
that  it  was  left  for  him  to  conduct  towards  the  British  Gen 
eral,  as  to  the  continuance  of  his  arrest,  as  he  might  judge 
the  honour  of  the  United  States  required.  Gen.  Phillips 
continuing  to  exhibit  the  same  temper,  or  it  rather  grow- 


163 

ing  upon  him,  he  was  continued  in  his  arrest  until  the 
troops  of  the  Convention  were  ordered  to  be  removed  to 
Charlottesville  in  Virginia.  It  has  before  been  observed, 
that  the  officers  had  certain  articles  prescribed  to  them,  for 
their  government  in  quarters,  and  that  these  were  drawn 
into  the  parole,  and  subscribed  by  them.  If  any  abuses 
took  place,  a  Court  of  Inquiry  was  directed  to  investigate 
the  complaints,  and  report  to  our  General;  thus  giving  the 
accused  officers  an  opportunity  to  exculpate  their  conduct, 
if  it  was  in  their  power;  and  no  officer  could  wish  more 
than  our  General  to  treat  them  with  generosity  and  in 
dulgence,  as  far  as  was  compatible  with  good  order  and 
discipline.  But  notwithstanding  the  fairness  of  this  mode 
of  procedure,  Gen.  Phillips  forbid  the  officers  appearing 
before  any  Court  so  appointed;  and  on  the  18th  ult.  Mr. 
Bibby,  the  Deputy- Adjutant-General  to  the  troops  of  the 
Convention,  came  into  a  Court  of  Inquiry  and  declared 
the  following,  which,  in  order  to  have  the  whole  together, 
we  now  retrospect. 

"  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips  will  not  permit  any  officer  under  his 
command  to  be  brought  before  a  Court  of  Inquiry  of  the 
American  troops,  for  the  purpose  of  scrutinizing  their  con 
duct  ;  but  if  any  complaints  are  lodged  against  any  British 
officers,  and  Maj.  Gen.  Heath  shall  desire  their  conduct  to 
be  inquired  into,  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips  will  give  such  orders 
as  are  customary  in  such  cases  among  the  British  troops. 
By  order  of  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips : 

(Signed)         THOS.  BIBBY,  Dep.  Adj.  Gen. 
MONDAY,  May  18, 1778." 

The  same  day,  Gen.  Phillips  sent  a  letter  to  our  General, 
expressive  of  the  same  sentiments;  to  which  the  following 
answer  was  sent  to  him. 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  May  19,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

Your  favour  of  yesterday  came  to  hand  the  last  even 
ing;  and,  I  must  confess,  contained  matter  novel  and  sur- 


164 

prising  to  me.  What  ideas  of  a  co-partnership  in  command 
you  have  entertained,  I  cannot  tell.  From  the  beginning, 
I  have  found  a  disposition  in  the  senior  officer  of  the  Con 
vention  to  assume  the  right  and  authority  of  trying  and 
punishing  offenders  for  breaches  of  my  orders.  This  I 
ever  have  and  ever  shall  view  in  no  other  light  than  that  of 
insult.  As  such,  I  represented  it  to  his  Excellency  Lieut. 
Gen.  Burgoyne,  whose  good  sense  and  thorough  knowledge 
of  discipline  led  him,  in  a  letter  to  me  of  the  13th  Jan.  to 
yield  the  matter  in  the  following  words :  "  I  do  not  mean 
to  deny  that  you  have  a  right  to  take  justice  into  your  own 
hands/*  Indeed  it  is  a  subject  concerning  which,  having 
heretofore  said  and  wrote  very  fully,  I  shall  not  at  this 
time  dwell  long  upon.  As  to  agreement  or  co-partnership 
in  command,  it  is  absurd.  In  military  command  there 
must  be  one  supreme  head ;  at  present,  the  Honourable 
Congress  have  honoured  me  with  the  command  of  this  de 
partment,  and  I  imagined  that  no  officer  within  its  limits 
would  dare  dispute  it. 

My  orders,  as  I  have  repeatedly  heretofore  declared, 
shall  ever  be  founded  on  the  principles  of  honour,  reason 
and  justice,  and  not  to  infringe  those  delicate  principles 
in  others ;  so  I  again  declare  that  such  my  orders  shall  not 
be  broken  or  disputed,  by  any  officer  or  soldier  placed  un 
der  my  direction,  with  impunity.  The  matter  of  command 
is  no  hidden  mystery;  the  usage  and  customs  of  nations 
are  known.  The  celebrated  Vattel,  Puffendorf  and  Gro- 
tius,  with  whose  writings  I  dare  say  you  are  acquainted, 
elegantly  explain  how  an  army  that  submits  to  another, 
whether  the  conditions  are  more  or  less  honorary  to  them 
selves,  are  to  conduct  whilst  they  remain  within  the  limits 
of  the  victors'  camp,  or  jurisdiction  of  their  country.  But 
I  shall  not  spend  time  to  reason  on  a  subject  which  would 
reflect  dishonour  on  myself  to  allow  even  to  be  disputed. 
Therefore,  to  sum  up  all  in  a  few  words — that,  as  I  am  de 
termined  to  treat  the  troops  of  the  Convention  with  strict 
justice  and  generosity,  so  I  am  determined  that  all  offend- 


165 

ers  against  my  standing  orders  of  the  garrison  shall  be 
brought  to  proper  punishment;  that  I  will  not  allow  the 
senior  officer  of  those  troops  to  try  or  punish  for  any  of 
fence  against  my  orders;  and,  that  the  truth  may  at  all 
times  be  properly  investigated,  I  shall,  from  time  to  time, 
when  occasion  requires,  appoint  Courts  of  Inquiry  for  that 
purpose;  and  such  as  presume  to  dispute  or  counteract 
them,  I  shall  duly  notice. 

I  am,  &c. 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH,  Major-General. 

Maj.  Gen.  PHILLIPS/-' 

Gen.  Phillips  finding  that  he  could  not  get  any  thing  by 
assault,  he  next  tried  his  skill  in  attempting  to  sap,  with 
the  policy  of  friendship ;  he  therefore  wrote  another  letter 
of  the  same  date,  under  the  name  of 

"  Private." 
u  ~  MONDAY,  May  18th,  1778. 

feIR, 

I  have,  this  morning,  written  to  you  a  letter  upon 
public  matters.  I  will  now  assure  you,  that  I  am  sorry 
that  my  earnest  desire  of  preserving  a  communication  of 
intelligence  between  you  and  I,  does  not  meet  your  con 
sent  ;  and  I  will  lament  that  you  will  attend  to  the  sudden 
reports  you  receive,  so  fully,  and  act  upon  them,  without 
that  good-humoured  attention  to  me,  which  I  had  hoped 
and  have  endeavoured  should  subsist  between  us.  You 
and  I  are  nearly  of  an  age — I  will  not  dispute  understand 
ings  with  you;  but  I  certainly  am  an  older  soldier,  and 
must  necessarily  know  the  customs  of  armies.  Allow  me 
to  assure  you,  that  the  manner  with  which  things  are  taken 
up  sometimes  deviates  from  military  rule.  It  is  a  fixed 
custom  to  go  from  the  head,  downwards;  and,  when  an 
Ensign  offends  against  order,  the  General  does  not  con 
descend  to  altercate  with  him,  but  sends  his  orders,  his 
desire,  or  his  opinion,  to  the  commanding  officers;  and,  in 
your  sending  messages  to  young  officers,  it  injures  your 
own  consequence,  and  certainly  hurts  mine.  Believe  me, 


166 

that  I  am  strict  against  any  breach  of  orders,  and  will 
never  suffer  it  to  pass  uncensured.  I  allow,  the  two  officers 
have  behaved  ill,  and  I  will  punish  them ;  but  the  getting 
the  countersign  was  an  effect  of  good  humour  and  simpli 
city  in  an  American  soldier.  Let  me  once  more  request  of 
you  to  recollect  your  own  situation,  and  it  will  put  mine  in 
a  clear  view  to  you.  Whenever  you  have  reports  against 
any  of  our  troops,  let  me  know  them,  and  I  will  give  instant 
attention  to  them;  but  you  will,  I  am  sure,  immediately 
feel  that  sending  a  threat  to  two  officers,  that  you  would 
send  them  on  board  a  prison-ship,  and  never  informing  me 
wherefore,  was  not  strictly  conformable  to  good  humour 
or  good  discipline. 

I  am,  with  a  very  hearty  desire  of  preserving  harmony 
and  order,  and  with  much  personal  regard, 

Yours,  &c. 

( Signed )  W.  PHILLIPS. 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

To  which  the  following  answer  was  returned: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  BOSTON,  May  19,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

Having,  in  my  other  letter  of  this  date,  answered 
yours  of  yesterday,  I  now  reply  to  your  favour  of  the  same 
date,  which  you  are  pleased  to  style  "private."  I  can  assure 
you,  Sir,  that  no  person  living  wishes  to  act  with  good  hu 
mour  more  than  I  do ;  or  would  take  more  pains  to  culti 
vate  harmony  and  a  good  understanding.  But  in  the  pres 
ent  case,  you  must  not  expect  that  I  shall  allow  myself, 
either  by  frowns  or  flatteries,  to  give  up  the  dignity  of  com 
mand  reposed  in  me. 

I  wish,  I  am  determined,  to  extend  every  act  of  gener 
osity  towards  the  officers  of  the  Convention  which  is  com 
patible  with  the  safety  and  honour  of  my  country.  I  shall 
not  take  up  matters  suddenly,  or  proceed  rashly,  unless  cir 
cumstances  shall  render  it  unavoidably  necessary;  and  al- 


167 

though  you  may  be  possessed  of  a  greater  share  of  under 
standing  than  I  am,  and  an  older  soldier, — yet  I  have  en 
deavoured  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  my  duty,  and  the  cus 
toms  of  armies  and  nations.  I  am  not  conscious  of  any  de 
viations  from  those  rules  or  customs  in  general  adopted  by 
them. 

The  General  who  commands  is  undoubtedly  the  foun 
tain  of  power,  and  all  orders  should  descend  from  him 
through  the  proper  officers,  until  they  are  communicated 
to  the  lowest  order  of  the  army ;  and  that  commander  who 
disputes  with,  or  threatens  young  officers,  undoubtedly  les 
sens  his  consequence,  and  will  soon  become  contemptible 
in  the  eyes  of  an  army.  Nothing  of  this  was  in  the  late 
transactions,  that  I  know  of:  having  received  a  report  of 
the  conduct  of  the  two  officers,  I  ordered  them  to  be  con 
fined  to  their  quarters,  and  appointed  a  Court  of  Inquiry 
to  examine  into  the  grounds  of  the  complaint,  that  I  might 
have  a  clear  understanding  of  the  affair,  and  order  accord 
ingly.  In  all  cases  where  you  or  the  troops  of  the  Conven 
tion  are  immediately  concerned  in  the  orders,  I  have  al 
ways  directed  that  you  should  be  served  with  a  copy.  As 
to  any  threatenings  being  sent  to  the  two  officers,  of  con 
fining  them  on  board  a  guard-ship,  I  know  nothing  of  it. 

The  main  difficulty  seems  to  arise  from  your  apprehen 
sion,  that  you  are  to  try  and  punish  all  offenders  against 
my  orders.  Here,  Sir,  notwithstanding  your  knowledge 
and  age  in  soldiery,  you  much  mistake,  and  cannot  support 
those  your  pretensions  by  any  rule  or  authority,  civil  or 
military.  The  moment  you  piled  your  arms,  and  marched 
off  the  ground,  you  became  subject  to  the  standing  orders 
of  the  victor ;  and  in  every  jurisdiction  through  which  you 
marched  or  where  you  remain,  are  subject  to  all  the  orders 
and  laws  of  the  place ;  and  such  as  violate  them  are  obnox 
ious  to  punishment.  The  law  and  custom  of  nations  ex 
plicitly  tell  us  who  are  to  try  and  punish :  and  although 
I  do  not  in  the  least  doubt  your  ready  disposition  to  in 
quire  into,  and  even  to  punish  offenders  against  my  orders 


168 

yet  when  you  attempt  it  it  is  such  an  indignity  offered  to 
my  authority,  that  you  may  be  assured  it  ever  will  raise 
my  resentment ;  and  if  it  did  not,  I  am  confident  that  your 
self  (at  least  hereafter)  and  all  military  men  would  des 
pise  me  for  my  insensibility.  In  a  word,  Sir,  cultivate 
those  principles  of  obedience  to  orders  among  the  officers  in 
your  situation,  recommended  and  inculcated  by  the  cus 
tom  and  usage  of  nations,  and  dictated  by  reason — and 
you  may  depend,  that  I  shall  exert  myself  to  make  your 
situation  as  agreeable  as  possible ;  and  you  may  be  also  as 
sured,  that  I  never  shall  require  that  of  the  troops  of  the 
Convention  which,  in  the  opinion  of  the  just  and  wise  in 
any  country,  shall  reflect  dishonour  on  them.  With  the 
strongest  desire  to  cultivate  and  maintain  harmony,  and  to 
treat  you  with  respect,  and  with  much  personal  regard, 

I  am,  &c. 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH. 

Maj.  Gen.  PHILLIPS." 

The  same  feelings  which  had  great  weight  in  the  begin 
ning  of  the  war,  continued  for  some  time,  namely,  that 
Great  Britain  was  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  powerful 
nations  in  the  world,  in  arts,  and  arms;  while  the  Ameri 
cans  were  yet  their  Colonies,  young,  weak,  and  but  barely 
civilized,  ignorant  of  the  world,  and  especially  so  of  arts 
and  of  arms.  Hence  we  see  it  so  frequently  breaking  out, 
(until  experience  had  taught  them  a  different  opinion) 
There  was  frequently,  as  in  the  atmosphere,  placid  inter 
vals  ;  but  whenever  any  cross  wind  happened  to  blow,  ( and 
there  is  no  season  or  circumstances  without  them)  then 
instantly  appeared  those  ideas  of  self -superiority  and  con 
tempt  for  the  Americans,  which  was  the  true  cause  of  many 
uncomfortable  hours.  Mankind  have  the  same  passions; 
the  difference  lies  in  some  riding  with  a  double  curb,  while 
others  give  the  reins. 

This  Convention  business  was  a  heavy  task  for  our  Gen 
eral,  and  the  whole  subject  would  form  an  entertaining  vol 
ume  of  itself ;  we  are  now  circumscribed  by  our  limits,  and 


169 

have  only  given  a  small  specimen  for  mankind  to  form  an 
opinion  for  themselves.  In  all  the  letters  or  conversation 
which  was  had  on  the  occasion,  we  find  scarcely  a  reflection 
cast  by  our  General  on  the  British  nation,  the  cause  in 
which  they  were  engaged,  or  against  any  who  were  fortun 
ate  or  unfortunate;  but  a  unifrom  desire  to  make  those 
placed  under  his  orders  as  comfortable  as  circumstances 
would  admit ;  at  the  same  time  an  unshaken  determination, 
a  perseverant  watchfulness,  with  decent  language,  to  de 
fend  the  cause  and  honour  of  his  own  country,  by  argu 
ments  supported  by  the  customs  and  maxims  of  the  civilized 
world.  The  hundreds  of  letters  on  file  are  all  proofs  of 
this ;  and  in  many  instances  it  was  politely  acknowledged. 
The  two  following  letters  of  different  dates,  are  some  of 

the  specimens Major  Harnage  had  his  lady  with  him. 

CAMBRIDGE,  October  30th,  1778. 
"  SIR, 

With  great  pleasure  I  acknowledge  the  favour  of  your 
obliging  letter;  and  Mrs.  Harnage  joins  me,  with  Capt. 
Hawker,  in  returning  to  you  our  sincere  thanks  for  your 
kind  representation  of  us,  and  solicitation  in  our  favour, 
to  the  Honourable  Congress. 

With  your  leave,  we  shall  with  patience  wait  the  re 
sult  ;  and,  let  the  Congress  determine  in  what  manner  they 
please,  our  obligations  to  you,  Sir,  will  be  ever  acknowl 
edged. 

Believe  me,  Sir,  with  respect, 

Your  obliged  and  humble  servant, 

HENRY  HARNAGE. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

CAMBRIDGE,  June  10,  1779. 
"  SIR, 

Being  this  moment  informed  that  you  are  about  to  quit 
Boston,  I  must  beg  leave,  previous  to  your  departure,  to 
trouble  you  with  these  our  acknowledgments,  for  the 
civility  and  attention  you  have  been  pleased  to  shew  us; 
and  to  assure  you  that  Mrs.  Harnage,  Capt.  Hawker  and 


170 

myself  shall  ever  retain  a  due  sense  of  all  favours,  by  which 
you  have  kindly  endeavoured  to  alleviate,  and  make  easy 
the  restraints  and  disagreeable  circumstances  that  un 
avoidably  attend  our  present  situation. 

We  hope  you  will  mention  us  to  the  gentleman  who  is 
to  succeed  to  the  command  in  the  Eastern  Department. 

Wishing  you  all  personal  happiness,  I  remain  with  re- 
spect,  Sir,  your  most  obedient  and 

Obliged  humble  servant, 

HENRY  HARNAGE. 
The  Hon.  Maj.  Gen.  HEATH/' 

29th. — A  Spanish  xebeck  and  a  French  cutter  arrived  at 
Boston,  with  dispatches  from  their  respective  Courts, 
which  were  forwarded  to  Congress. 

30th. — Certain  intelligence  was  received,  that  the  Brit 
ish  had  left  Philadelphia. 

July  9th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  a  warm  action 
happened  on  the  28th  ult.  between  Gen.  Washington's  and 
Gen.  Clinton's  armies,  near  Monmouth  court-house,  in  the 
Jersies.  Gen.  Clinton,  having  taken  the  resolution  to  move 
from  Philadelphia  to  New- York,  through  the  Jersies,  com 
menced  his  movements  accordingly,  encumbered  with  an 
immense  train  of  stores  and  baggage,  which  occupied  some 
miles  in  length;  and  these  are  the  greatest  incumbrance 
to  a  General  on  a  march  of  danger,  from  an  attack  of  his 
opponent,  to  which  he  can  be  exposed. 

Gen.  Washington  was  no  sooner  apprised  of  this  inten 
tion  and  movement  of  the  British  General,  than  he  made 
his  arrangements  accordingly,  crossed  the  Delaware,  and 
pushed  detached  corps  forward  to  obstruct  the  advance, 
gall  the  flanks,  and  fall  on  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  while  he 
moved  on  with  the  body  of  his  army.  By  the  27th,  Gen. 
Clinton  had  got  on  as  far  as  Monmouth,  and  Gen.  Wash 
ington's  detached  troops  were  on  his  flanks,  and  close  on 
his  rear.  Here  the  British  General  took  a  wise  resolution, 
to  make  a  stand  with  a  part  of  his  best  troops,  while  he 
pushed  on  his  baggage  through  the  difficult  defiles,  under 


171 

the  careful  and  experienced  hands  of  Gen.  Knyphausen. 

General  Washington  acting  with  equal  skill  and  equal 
bravery,  made  every  arrangement  which  the  moment  called 
for.  On  the  morning  of  the  28th,  he  ordered  Maj. 
Gen.  Lee  to  attack  the  enemy's  rear,  himself  moving  on 
briskly  to  support  him ;  but  to  his  surprise,  as  he  advanced 
on,  he  met  Lee's  troops  retreating  and  the  enemy  impetu 
ously  pursuing.  Here  was  Gen.  Washington  seen  in  all  his 
splendor;  for  this  critical  situation  is  the  orb  in  which  he 
shines  the  brightest.  He  rallied  the  retreating  troops;  he 
inspired  them  by  precept  and  by  example ;  and  the  misfor 
tune  of  the  morning  was  considerably  retrieved. 

The  Americans  fought  bravely,  and  so  did  the  British. 
After  hard  fighting,  in  a  most  intense  hot  day,  when  scores 
died  of  the  heat,  and  drinking  too  freely  of  cold  water 
when  they  could  find  it,  both  armies  remained  on  the 
ground.  The  Americans  determined  to  recommence  the 
action  early  on  the  next  morning;  but  Gen.  Clinton,  find 
ing  that  his  baggage  had  struggled  pretty  well  through  the 
defiles,  and  had  got  tolerably  well  advanced,  took  the  ad 
vantage  of  the  cool  of  the  night  to  slip  off,  unperceived  by 
the  Americans,  and  got  to  ground  where  he  was  safe. 
Some  sharp  words  took  place  between  Gen.  Washington 
and  Maj.  Gen.  Lee,  as  the  one  advanced  and  the  other  re 
treated,  which  issued  in  the  arrest,  trial  and  suspension 
of  the  latter.  Gen.  Washington  reported  to  Congress,  that 
the  Americans  buried  of  the  British  4  officers  and  245  pri 
vates;  among  the  former,  the  Hon.  Col.  Monckton,  (who 
was  a  brave  and  experienced  officer)  and  that  there  were  a 
few  prisoners.  The  American  loss;  killed,  1  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  1  Major,  3  Captains,  2  Lieutenants,  1  Sergeant,  52 
rank  and  file — wounded,  2  Colonels,  8  Captains,  4  First- 
Lieutenants,  2  Second-Lieutenants,  1  Ensign,  1  Adjutant, 
8  Sergeants,  1  Drummer,  120  rank  and  file ;  missing,  5  Ser 
jeants,  126  rank  and  file;  of  the  artillery,  one  First 
Lieutenant,  7  Matrosses,  and  1  Bombardier  were 
killed — one  Captain,  1  Sergeant,  1  Corporal,  1  Gunner, 


172 

and  10  Matrosses  wounded — one  Matross  missing — six 
horses  killed,  and  two  wounded.  Both  Generals  undoubt 
edly  have  much  credit  for  their  conduct  in  this  action.  Gen. 
Clinton's  object  being  to  reach  New- York  with  his  bag 
gage,  &c.  obtained  this  victory,  with  the  loss  which  he 
sustained.  Gen.  Washington's  conduct  was  well  calcu 
lated  for  victory  on  his  side;  and  how  far  he  would  have 
succeeded,  had  it  not  been  for  the  misfortune  of  the  morn 
ing,  none  can  tell.  This  misfortune  began  by  exposing  the 
American  advanced  troops,  in  line,  on  the  side  of  the  field 
where  they  were  cannonaded  by  the  British,  who  at  the 
same  time  wisely  exposed  only  their  artillery  to  that  of  the 
Americans.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  that  men  may  be  led 
on  to  action  in  the  face  of  a  cannonade,  before  which  they 
will  not  stand;  the  point  of  decision  is  in  the  mind ;  while 
advancing,  although  galled  by  the  fire  of  their  opponents, 
the  dead  and  wounded  are  left  behind  them  as  they  fall, 
and  the  troops  feel  an  ardour  for  arriving  in  a  few  minutes 
at  a  point  where  they  can  use  their  own  arms,  to  retaliate 
for  the  injury  they  sustain.  But  when  men  are  placed  open 
to  the  fire  of  the  artillery  of  their  enemy,  at  such  a  distance 
as  to  prevent  the  use  of  their  own  arms  in  their  defence, 
the  dead  and  wounded  fall  and  lie  among  them,  or  are 
drawn  away,  and  every  groan  they  make  is  heard.  The 
troops  soon  conceive  that  they  are  placed  as  marks  to  be 
shot  at ;  while  the  greater  policy  of  the  enemy  keeps  their 
column  or  line  out  of  the  rake  of  their  cannon;  the  mind 
gives  way  and  retreat  will  be  inevitable.  This  was  expe 
rienced  in  this  instance,  and  the  fairest  hopes  of  a  noble  on 
set  in  a  few  minutes  blasted;  and  these  were  some  of  the 
best  troops  in  the  army  too.  It  was  here  that  the  firm  Col. 
Wesson  had  his  back  peeled  of  its  muscles,  almost  from 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  by  a  cannon-ball.  The  confidence  of 
the  troops  could  not  be  fully  recovered,  until  they  saw  the 
presence  of  their  beloved  General. 

18th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  Count  D'Es- 
taing  had  arrived,  with  the  fleet  under  his  command,  off  the 


173 


Capes  of  Delaware.  The  fleet  consisted  of  12  sail  of  the 
line,  and  4  frigates.  Off  the  coast  of  Virginia,  they  took  a 
privateer,  fitted  out  of  New- York,  of  26  guns — a  ship, 
bound  from  New-Providence  to  London — re-captured}  a 
French  snow,  laden  with  dry  goods,  and  drove  a  British 
ship  of  war  on  shore. 

19th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  about  2000  men, 
said  to  be  invalids,  had  arrived  at  Rhode  Island  from  New- 
York. 

21st. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  a  body  of  refu 
gees  and  Indians  had  destroyed  the  town  of  Wyoming,  on 
the  Susquehanna,  and  butchered  many  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  same  day,  it  was  learnt,  that  Gen.  Washington  had 
crossed  Hudson's  River  with  the  main  army,  except  Gen. 
Wayne's  brigade — that  Count  D'Estaing  had  appeared  off 
Sandy  Hook — that  the  inhabitants  of  New-York  were  in 
great  consternation,  and  that  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette, 
with  Glover's  and  Varnum's  brigades,  were  on  their  march 
for  Providence.  The  British  were  very  busy  in  fortifying 
liliode  Island. 

25th  and  26th.— Sent  for  Providence  43,000  flints,  five 
tons  hard  bread,  a  quantity  of  dry  fish,  &c.  and  sent  a  large 
number  of  the  large  flat-bottomed  boats  to  \Veymouth ;  they 
were  to  be  conveyed,  taking  advantage  of  the  river,  to  the 
vicinity  of  Rhode  Island.  Half  of  Col.  Crafts'  regiment 
of  State  artillery  were  ordered  to  Tiverton ;  the  other  half 
of  the  regiment  of  artillery,  and  a  draft  from  the  militia, 
to  the  number  of  3000  men,  including  1000  before  ordered, 
were  to  march  and  reinforce  Maj.  Gen.  Sullivan  in  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island.  On  the  29th,  at  noon,  the  Count 
D'Estaing's  squadron  came  to  anchor  off  Point  Judith,  and 
at  evening  stretched  a  line  from  that  Point  to  Secunnet. 

31st. — The  regiment  of  State  artillery,  with  6  brass  4- 
pounders  and  2  brass  howitzers,  marched  for  Tiverton ;  and 
the  next  day  the  marine  mortar  was  sent  on,  slung  under 
two  pair  of  stout  cart-wheels.  The  British  sloop  of  war 


174 


Kingfisher,  a  row-galley  and  a  sloop,  stationed  near  Se- 
cunnet1,  upon  the  approach  of  the  French  frigate  were 
run  on  shore  by  their  own  crews,  set  on  fire,  and  left  to 
burn  and  blow  up.  Maj.  Bumstead's2  company  of  Boston 
artillery,  with  two  brass  field-pieces,  and  Lieut.  Dunnel3, 
with  a  detachment  of  the  Continental  artillery,  with  two 
field-pieces,  marched  for  Rhode  Island,  and  the  militia  and 
volunteers  were  on  their  march  that  way ;  and  large  quanti 
ties  of  military  stores  and  provisions  were  going  from 
hence. 

August  10th. — Major-General  Hancock,  with  his  suit, 
went  for  Khode  Island,  to  take  the  command  of  the  militia. 
The  same  morning,  Gen.  Sullivan  made  a  landing  on  the 
island  without  opposition.  About  the  same  time  the  Count 
D'Estaing,  with  his  squadron,  passed  the  British  batteries 
at  Newport,  when  there  was  a  brisk  cannonade  on  both 
sides.  Many  of  the  shot  struck  in  the  town,  and  the  inhabi 
tants  were  in  much  consternation,  not  knowing  in  what 
place  they  were  safe.  A  shot  entered  the  door  of  the  house 
of  Mrs.  Mason,  a  widow  lady,  a  little  above  the  floor :  as  the 
family  were  passing  from  room  to  room  not  knowing 
where  the  next  shot  might  strike,  young  Mr.  Mason,  pass 
ing  through  the  entry,  found  the  black  man  of  the  family 
sitting  with  his  back  against  the  shot-hole  in  the  door;  on 
being  asked  why  he  sat  there,  he  answered,  "  Master,  you 
never  know  two  shot  to  go  in  the  same  place."  Under  this 
idea  he  was  tranquil.  Lord  Howe's  fleet  appeared  in  the 
offing,  consisting  of  8  sail  of  the  line,  and  12  frigates. 

llth. — The  Count  came  to  sail,  and  stood  out,  and  the 
British  fleet  stood  off — the  wind  very  fresh. 

13th. — A  most  severe  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  which 
stripped  many  trees  of  their  fruit,  and  tore  others  up  by 
the  roots,  &c. 


1  Seaconnet. 

2  Thomas  Bumstead. 

3  Zaccheus  Dunnell,  2nd  Lieut.  3rd  Continental  artillery. 


J75 

The  troops  on  Rhode  Island,  under  the  command  of  Gen. 
Sullivan,  were  on  the  llth,  10,122,  including  officers,  ex 
clusive  of  some  volunteers  from  New  Hampshire,  and 
other  corps,  arranged  as  follows : 

Varnum's  brigade,  including  officers,  1,037 

Glover's,  1,131 

Cornell's,  1,719 

Greene's,  1,626 

LovelPs,  1,158 

Titcomb's,  957 

Livingston's  advance,  659 

West's  reserve,  1,025 

Artillery,  810 

Total,     10,122 

These  were  encamped  at  and  near  Quaker-Hill.  The 
storm  destroyed  a  great  number  of  cartridges,  owing  to  the 
badness  of  the  boxes.  A  fresh  supply  was  sent  on  from 
Boston. 

15th. — The  army  advanced,  and  in  the  afternoon  arrived 
within  two  miles  of  the  enemy,  without  the  least  opposi 
tion.  Gen.  Washington,  with  the  main  army,  was  at  the 
White  Plains,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  said  to  be  about 
20,000  strong.  Seventeen  transports  with  troops  from 
Gen.  Howe's  army  at  New  York,  sailed  for  Rhode  Island ; 
but  finding  the  French  squadron  in  the  way,  could  not 
come  to  the  place. 

On  the  evening  of  the  16th,  Gen.  Sullivan  took  posses 
sion  of  some  high  grounds  which  commanded  the  enemy's 
works  on  their  right,  and  was  not  discovered  until  morn 
ing,  when  they  began  to  cannonade  the  Americans,  but  did 
them  no  damage,  which  was  continued  the  next  day  with 
out  injury. 

On  the  night  of  the  17th,  the  covered  way  was  nearly 
completed,  and  also  two  batteries  of  cannon.  The  enemy 
fired  300  or  400  shot,  but  did  no  other  damage  than  slightly 
wounding  two  men. 


176 

19th. — The  American  works  were  advanced  nearer  to  the 
enemy,  and  on  the  20th,  they  had  one  man  killed  and  two 
wounded  by  the  enemy's  cannon.  In  the  afternoon  the 
Count  D'Estaing  returned  to  Newport — his  own  ship,  the 
Languedoc,  was  totally  dismasted  in  the  storm,  and  lost 
her  rudder.  In  this  situation,  an  English  50  gun  ship  of 
Lord  Howe's  squadron  came  across  her,  and  got  under  her 
stern,  where  she  did  the  Languedoc  some  small  damage; 
but  on  wearing  the  Languedoc,  so  as  to  bring  some  of  her 
heavy  metal  to  bear,  the  Englishman  bore  away.  The 
Marseilles,  a  74,  lost  her  foremast  in  the  storm,  and  the 
Cesar,  a  74,  parted  from  the  squadron. 

22d. — In  the  afternoon,  the  Cesar  came  to  anchor  in  the 
light-house  channel,  (Boston  lower  harbour).  After  part 
ing  from  the  squadron  in  the  storm,  she  fell  in  with  a  Brit 
ish  50  gun  ship,  with  whom  she  was  engaged  for  near  three 
glasses1,  and  would  have  taken  her,  had  not  some  other 
English  ships  hove  in  sight.  The  Cesar  had  160  men  killed 
and  wounded,  about  60  OL  which  were  of  the  former;  and 
the  Captain2  among  the  latter,  who  lost  an  arm.  On  his 
being  brought  up  to  Boston,  our  General  immediately  paid 
him  a  visit,  and  expressed  to  him  his  regret  for  the  arm  he 
had  lost ;  to  which  the  Captain  replied,  although  very  weak 
through  the  great  loss  of  blood  he  had  sustained — that  he 
was  ready  to  lose  his  other  arm  in  the  cause  of  the  Ameri 
cans.  Remember  this,  ye  Americans,  in  future  times ! 

The  same  day,  the  enemy  threv:  2  or  300  shells  at  our 
troops  on  Rhode  Island ;  two  men  only  were  wounded,  and 
the  fire  briskly  returned.  The  Count  D'Estaing  determined 
to  come  round  with  his  squadron  to  Boston,  and  Gen.  Sul 
livan  must  retreat  to  the  north  end  of  the  island. 

26th. — Maj.  Gen.  Hancock  returned  to  Boston.  The  vol 
unteers  were  coming  home. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th,  the  Count  D'Estaing,  with 


1A   "glass"    (nautical)     is    a    half-hour    sand    glass;    hence,   "three 
glasses  "  would  be  an  hour  and  a  half. 
2  Capt.  Raimondis  (see  p.  200). 


177 

his  squadron,  arrived  in  Nantasket  Road,  and  the  next  day 
the  Count  came  up  to  town. 

On  the  29th,  there  was  a  smart  action  between  the  Brit 
ish  and  Americans,  towards  the  north  end  of  Rhode  Island, 
which  terminated  in  favour  of  the  latter.  The  most  severe 
part  of  this  action  was  at  the  hollow  between  Butts'  Hill 
and  Quaker-Hill,  a  ground  situated  for  slaughter  on  both 
sides,  rather  than  for  decisive  victory  on  either.  Col.  Jack 
son's  regiment  of  Continental  troops,  and  Gen.  Lovell's 
brigade  of  militia,  are  said  to  have  distinguished  them 
selves;  and  the  artillery  drove  off  two  frigates  that  at 
tempted  to  cover  the  enemy's  flank.  The  Americans  had 
about  60  men  killed,  and  180  wounded.  The  loss  of  the 
enemy  unknown. 

On  the  evening  of  the  30th,  Gen.  Sullivan  left  the  is 
land;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  31st,  an  express  from 
Plymouth  brought  intelligence  that  20  sail  of  topsail  ves 
sels  were  seen  off  that  place  the  evening  before — some  of 
them  very  large  ships.  In  consequence  of  this  intelligence, 
our  General,  the  President  of  the  Council,  Gen.  Hancock, 
and  others,  went  down  the  harbour,  to  confer  with  the 
Count  D'Estaing. 

The  next  day,  September  1st,  the  Count  came  up  to 
town,  with  a  number  of  his  officers,  and  was  to  dine  with 
our  General.  Just  as  the  company  were  going  to  sit  down, 
the  signal  guns  announced  the  appearance  of  the  fleet,  and 
which  were  visible  from  the  town,  (Mr.  John  Cutler  hav 
ing  discovered  them  from  the  steeple  of  the  Old  South 
meeting-house)  appearing  to  be  about  20  sail,  eight  of 
which  at  least  were  two  deckers.  The  Count  immediately 
put  off  for  the  squadron.  Several  of  the  islands  next  to 
the  road  had  been  fortified,  and  the  squadron  moored,  in 
order  to  give  a  warm  reception  to  the  British,  should  they 
attempt  to  enter  the  road.  A  number  of  regiments  of  the 
militia  of  the  vicinity  were  ordered  to  march  immediately 
to  the  Castle,  Dorchester  Heights,  Boston,  Noddle's  Is 
land,  &c.  Several  signal  guns  were  heard  in  the  bay  the 


178 

latter  part  of  the  night,  and  the  next  morning  the  fleet  was 
out  of  sight.  The  militia  which  were  coming  in  were 
countermanded.  Admiral  Byron's  squadron  arrived  a  few 
days  before,  at  Sandy  Hook.  The  enemy  made  a  descent 
on  New-Bedford,  and  did  considerable  damage:  they  also 
made  a  demand  on  the  inhabitants  of  Martha's  Vineyard, 
for  a  large  number  of  cattle,  sheep,  &c. 

9th. — An  affray  happened  in  Boston  between  some 
American  and  French  sailors;  two  French  officers  in  at 
tempting  to  part  them,  were  much  wounded — one  of  them, 
a  Major  of  the  fleet,  died  of  the  wounds  on  the  15th. 

Brigadier-General  Speckt1,  the  eldest  Brigadier  of  the 
Hessian  troops  under  the  Convention,  wrote  a  letter  to  our 
General,  in  which  he  informed  him  that,  being  advanced 
in  age,  he  had  but  little  taste  for  those  pleasures  and 
amusements  which  please  the  young  and  gay;  but  he  had 
not  lost  his  taste  for  sporting  with  his  gun,  and  requested 
that  he  might  do  it  within  the  limits  of  his  parole.  Noth 
ing  could  be  more  pleasing  to  our  General,  than  to  gratify 
this  brave  veteran  soldier ;  he  therefore  wrote  him  the  fol 
lowing  answer. 

HEAD-QUARTERS,,  BOSTON,,  Sept.  10, 1778. 
"  SIR, 

Your  letter  of  the  9th  inst.  came  to  hand.  The  fre 
quent  informations  which  I  have  received  of  your  civil  and 
polite  behaviour,  since  you  have  been  at  Cambridge,  and 
your  taste  for  little  diversion  except  shooting,  leads  me  to 
grant  you  every  indulgence  which  is  compatible  with  my 
duty,  and  the  honour  and  safety  of  my  country.  You  there 
fore  have  my  permission  to  go  a-shooting  within  the  limits 
assigned  you,  attended  by  one  servant;  and  hope  the 
amusement  will  equal  your  expectation. 

I  am,  &c. 

(Signed)  W.  HEATH. 

Brig.  Gen.  SPECKT." 

1  The  name  is  spelled  "  Specht "  by  other  writers. 


179 

17th. — The  General  Assembly  ordered  1200  men  to  be 
detached  from  the  militia,  and  marched  to  Boston  immed 
iately;  and  on  the  19th,  ordered  one-third  part  of  their 
train -band  to  be  immediately  detached  for  the  purpose  of 
completing  the  works  in  and  about  the  town  of  Boston — 
garrisoning  the  works,  &c.  Our  General  went  on  board 
the  Count's  ship,  and  with  him  to  view  the  works  on 
George's  Island. 

22d. — The  Count  D'Estaing,  with  the  officers  of  his 
squadron,  made  a  public  appearance  in  town — were  re 
ceived  by  a  Committee  of  both  Houses  of  the  General  As 
sembly,  at  their  landing — breakfasted  at  Gen.  Hancock's— 
took  punch  and  wine  at  Head-Quarters,  at  twelve  o'clock ; 
and  then  returned  to  the  fleet,  under  a  salute  on  leaving  the 
town,  and  on  passing  the  Castle. 

The  grand  army  under  Gen.  Washington  took  a  new  po 
sition;  one  division  under  the  immediate  command  of  Gen. 
Putnam,  at  Fishldll;  one  under  Gen.  De  Calf1,  Frederick- 
burg  ;  and  one  under  Gen.  Gates,  at  Danbury. 

24th. — The  General  Assembly  countermanded  their  or 
ders  for  calling  out  one-third  part  of  their  train-band,  and 
ordered  that  they  be  held  in  readiness  to  march  on  the 
shortest  notice,  wherever  occasion  shall  require. 

25th. — The  General  Assembly  made  a  public  dinner  for 
the  Count  D'Estaing,  &c.  &c.  The  next  day,  the  Count 
D'Estaing,  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  and  a  number  of  other 
officers  and  gentlemen,  dined  with  our  General. 

October  5th. — The  British  destroyed  the  salt-works  and 
several  stores,  and  did  other  damage,  at  Egg-Harbour; 
they  also  surprised  a  part  of  Pulaski's  legion  in  that  neigh 
bourhood,  whom  they  handled  very  severely.  The  British 
pretended  that  they  had  heard  that  Pulaski  had  instructed 
his  men  not  to  give  them  quarter;  they  therefore  antici 
pated  retaliation.  About  the  same  time,  Baylor's  dra- 

1  Baron  De  Kalb. 


180 

goons  were  surprised  at  Tappan1,  and  treated  much  in  the 
same  manner.  Nocturnal  enterprises,  in  which  the  bayo 
net  is  principally  made  use  of,  are  generally  uncommonly 
bloody. 

The  Languedoc,  the  Count's  ship,  having  been  completely 
repaired,  fell  down  to  Nantasket  Road,  and  joined  the 
squadron. 

6th. — Gen.  du  Portail,  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Ameri 
can  army,  came  to  Boston  to  survey  the  several  works,  in 
order  to  their  being  repaired  or  augmented,  as  might  ap 
pear  necessary;  and  fatigue  parties  were  employed  on  the 
different  works,  and  every  thing  put  in  the  best  posture  of 
defence. 

20th. — Our  General,  in  company  with  the  Count  D'Es- 
taing  and  others,  went  to  Nantasket,  to  take  a  view  of  the 
works  there,  and  to  review  a  battalion  of  marines,  who 
manoeuvred  well,  and  in  every  particular  were  well  disci 
plined,  owing  to  the  unwearied  attention  of  their  Major, 
M'Donald,  a  Scotchman,  whose  father  was  in  the  rebellion 
in  England,  and  with  this  son  fled  to  France  for  safety. 
Gen.  Bouganville2  had  the  command  at  Nantasket ;  he  was 
also  commander  of  one  of  the  first  ships  in  the  fleet  under 
the  Count  D'Estaing.  The  enemy  left  the  Jersies,  and  pre 
pared  to  embark  a  large  body  of  troops.  About  100  sail  of 
shipping,  including  men-of-war,  fell  down  to  the  Hook  on 
the  17th  of  October.  On  the  19th  and  20th,  the  fleet  sailed 
from  Sandy  Hook;  the  first  division  consisted  of  upwards 
of  120  sail,  of  which  15  were  of  the  line,  and  10  or  12  frig 
ates.  This  fleet  went  to  the  West-Indies,  with  about  4000 
troops.  The  second  division,  about  30  sail,  of  which  2 
were  of  50  guns,  and  2  frigates.  They  stood  to  the  east 
ward  ;  there  was  but  few  troops  on  board  the  latter.  Six 
brigades  of  the  Continental  army  were  on  their  march  for 
Hartford,  in  Connecticut,  to  be  ready  to  move  this  way, 

lAt   Old    Tappan,     N.     Y.      Grey   of   Paoli  was    the    leader   in    this 

butchery. 

2  Bougainville. 


181 

should  the  enemy  appear  in  this  quarter;  and  Maj.  Gen. 
Gates  was  ordered  to  take  the  command  in  the  Eastern 
Department. 

November  4th. — In  the  morning  the  Count  D'Estaing's 
squadron  sailed  from  Nantasket  Road. 

6th. — Maj.  Gen.  Gates,  with  his  lady,  suite,  &c.  arrived 
at  Boston.  The  Somerset,  British  man-of-war,  of  64  guns, 
run  a-shore  on  Cape  Cod,  and  was  taken  possession  of  by 
the  militia,  who  sent  the  crew  prisoners  to  Boston. 

7th.: — Maj.  Gen.  Gates  took  the  command  at  Boston.  In 
the  next  Continental  Journal.,  printed  by  John  Gill,  the  fol 
lowing  made  its  appearance: 

BOSTON,  Nov.  12. 

"  On  Thursday  last,  arrived  in  town,  from  Hartford,  the 
Hon.  Horatio  Gates,  Esq.,  Major-General  in  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  being  appointed  by  Congress  to  the 
chief  command  in  the  Eastern  District,  in  the  room  of  the 
Hon.  Major-General  Heath. 

While  we  receive  with  the  highest  pleasure,  a  General 
justly  celebrated  for  his  personal  virtues  and  martial 
achievements,  we  cannot  but  pay  a  due  tribute  of  respect  to 
one,  whose  accomplishments  as  a  citizen,  a  gentleman,  and 
an  officer,  have  shown  so  conspicuously  in  the  delicacy, 
propriety,  and  dignity  of  his  private  and  public  conduct, 
through  the  whole  of  his  command  in  this  department. 

Tenacious  of  the  civil  rights  of  the  community,  and  of 
the  honour  and  safety  of  these  Free,  Sovereign  and  Inde 
pendent  States,  so  far  as  they  were  entrusted  to  his  pro 
tection,  in  the  most  interesting  and  critical  circumstances 
in  which  a  General  could  possibly  be  placed,  he  has  uni 
formly  exhibited  a  prudence,  animation,  decision  and  firm 
ness,  which  have  done  him  honour,  and  fully  justified  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him. 

The  cordial  and  most  explicit  approbation  of  the  army, 
the  inhabitants  of  this  town,  the  army  and  navy  of  our  il 
lustrious  ally,  the  Government  of  this  State,  his  Excellency 
the  Commander  in  Chief,  and  of  Congress,  added  to  the 


182 

consciousness  of  his  having  discharged  his  trust  with 
fidelity — must,  in  a  great  measure,  have  alleviated  the 
fatigues  incident  to  his  arduous  station,  and  compensated 
the  loss  of  his  health,  so  much  impaired  by  an  incessant 
attention  to  business. 

The  very  polite  and  affectionate  terms  in  which  he  has 
taken  leave  of  the  department,  in  his  last  general  orders, 
demand  also  our  most  grateful  acknowledgements." 

10th  and  llth. — The  Convention  troops  marched  for 
Virginia.  They  were  marched  to  Connecticut,  and  de 
livered  to  the  orders  of  Gov.  Trumbull;  and  were  in  like 
manner  to  be  conveyed  from  State  to  State,  each  furnishing 
an  escort,  wagons,  &c.  until  they  reached  Virginia. 
Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  having  refused  to  give  passports 
to  American  vessels  to  bring  to  Boston  provisions  for  the 
use  of  the  Convention  troops,  or  otherwise  supplying  of 
them,  Congress  on  the  15th  of  October,  passed  a  resolve 
that  the  troops  of  the  Convention  should  be  removed  to 
Charlottesville  in  Virginia,  and  they  were  now  moving  ac 
cordingly. 

24th. — It  was  learnt,  that  the  brigades  which  marched 
from  the  American  grand  army  to  Hartford,  marched  back 
to  Danbury.  In  this  month,  Col.  Alden1,  of  oneof  the  Massa 
chusetts  regiments,  with  his  clerk,  were  surprised  and 
killed  by  the  tories  and  Indians,  at  Cherry  Valley,  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  The  regiment  defended  the  place,  and 
repulsed  the  enemy.  The  American  army  went  into  winter 
quarters  in  the  Jersies,  at  Danbury,  Peek's  Kill,  &c.  Capt. 
Hallet,  on  the  23d,  on  George's  Bank,  latitude  41  40  north, 
in  18  fathoms  water,  discovered  a  mast  10  or  12  feet  above 
water ;  upon  a  close  examination,  supposed  it  to  be  the  top 
mast  of  a  74  gun  ship  of  Admiral  Byron's  squadron,  which 
foundered  in  the  storm  when  the  Somerset  ran  on  shore. 

December  19th. — It  was  learnt  that  the  small  armed  ves- 

1  Ichabod  Alden,  7th  Mass. 


183 

sels  of  the  enemy  did  considerable  damage  to  the  inhabi 
tants  along  the  eastern  coast  of  Massachusetts,  by  plunder 
ing,  taking  their  coasting  vessels,  &c.  A  little  before  this 
time,  Colonel  Joseph  Ward,  Muster-Master-General,  and 
Lieut.  Col.  Bradford1,  were  taken  by  a  gang  of  refugees,  in 
the  Jersies,  and  carried  to  New  York. 

27th. — Our  General  received  letters  from  Admiral  Gam- 
bice2,  respecting  the  prisoners  taken  from  the  Somerset 
man-of-war,  and  proposing  an  immediate  exchange;  the 
letters  couched  in  very  polite  terms. 

28th. — A  wagoner,  his  horse  and  four  oxen  were  found 
frozen  to  death  near  the  dyke,  on  Boston  Neck;  they  per 
ished  in  the  severe  cold  storm  on  the  preceding  Saturday 
evening. 

A  more  particular  account  from  Cherry  Valley  stated, 
that  there  were  32  persons  killed,  beside  Col.  Alden,  and  10 
rank  and  file  belonging  to  the  Continental  army,  and  about 
30  other  persons  taken  prisoners ;  32  houses,  31  barns,  one 
grist-mill,  fulling-mill,  and  blacksmith's  shop,  burnt.  The 
enemy  consisted  of  200  refugees,  and  443  Indians,  com 
manded  by  Joseph  Brandt,  Walter  Butler,  and  the  Seneca 
Chief. 

In  the  late  storm,  the  General  Arnold  privateer  drove 
on  shore  near  Plymouth,  and  bilged ;  80  of  the  crew  per 
ished;  the  survivors  were  much  frost  bitten. 

1779.  January  6th. — The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  and 
Captain  Baimondis,  of  the  Cesar,  French  man-of-war,  who 
was  wounded  and  left  at  Boston,  sailed  for  France  in  the 
Alliance  frigate. 

8th. — Capt.  Mowatt3,  with  his  fleet  of  picaroons,  were 
still  infesting  the  eastern  harbours ;  they  had  already  cap 
tured  about  60  sail  of  vessels,  inward  and  outward  bound, 
and  burnt  several  houses,  &c. 

Congress  had  passed  a  resolution  for  calling  in  the  whole 

1.  William  Bradford  of  Pa.,  his  deputy. 

2  Gambier. 

3  This  was  Lieut.  Oliver  Mowatt,  R.  N.,  who  burnt  Falmouth,   (Port 
land),  Me. 


184 

emission  of  Continental  bills  of  May  20th,  1777,  and  April 
llth,  1778,  for  which  the  possessors  were  to  receive  loan 
certificates,  or  new  emission  bills. 

21st. — It  was  learnt,  that  the  enemy  had  made  an  irrup 
tion  into  the  State  of  Georgia,  and  were  in  possession  of 
Sunbury.  Their  force,  at  first  about  500,  was  said  to 
have  increased  to  upwards  of  1000. 

The  British  ship  which  foundered  on  George's  Bank,  and 
whose  masts  were  discovered  by  Capt.  Hallet,  was  sup 
posed  to  be  the  Cornwall,  of  74  guns.  It  is  said  her  whole 
crew  were  lost. 

February  3d. — It  was  learnt,  that  the  Count  D'Estaing, 
on  his  arrival  in  the  West-Indies,  made  an  attack  on  the 
British  in  the  island  of  St.  Lucia,  but  was  defeated  with 
considerable  loss,  after  which  he  returned  to  Martinico. 

9th. — It  was  learnt,  that  a  number  of  Americans  con 
fined  in  Gosport  prison,  in  England,  among  whom  was 
Doctor  Downer  of  Roxbury,  made  their  escape  in  the  pre 
ceding  Sept.  by  sapping  with  great  address  from  the  prison 
under  the  yard  and  fence,  to  the  distance  of  20  feet,  daily 
concealing  the  earth  which  they  dug,  in  the  chimney  of  the 
prison.  This  Doctor  Downer  is  the  person  mentioned  fo 
have  killed  a  British  soldier  in  single  combat,  on  the  19th 
of  April,  in  the  battle  of  Lexington. 

llth. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  the  British  troops 
had  made  themselves  masters  of  Savannah  in  Georgia 
Their  light-infantry  having  stole  a  march  upon  the  Ameri 
cans,  by  a  pass  through  a  swamp,  which  was  supposed  im 
passable,  and  thereby  defeated  our  army,  under  the  com 
mand  of  General  Kobert  Howe.  The  American  loss  was 
said  to  be  about  30  officers,  and  near  400  men,  killed, 
wounded  and  taken  prisoners.  This  event  threw  the  whole 
State  of  Georgia  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  The  Ameri 
can  General  was  accused  of  misconduct,  and  a  long  time 
after  brought  to  trial,  and  honourably  acquitted.  The 
British  here  practised  art,  and  force  was  obliged  to  yield  to 
it.  Their  light  infantry  finding  their  way  through  the 


185 

path  in  the  swamp,  bringing  of  them  on  the  flank  and  in 
the  rear  of  the  Americans,  where  they  were  not  expected, 
or  not  guarded  against,  proved  their  overthrow.  A  few 
shots  on  the  flank  or  rear  of  an  enemy,  serves  to  discon 
cert  them  more  than  a  heavy  fire  in  the  front.  The  point 
of  decision  here  lies  not  in  the  force,  but  in  the  mind.  A 
company  of  50  men  cannot  fire  more  shots  in  the  same 
given  time  on  the  flank,  or  in  the  rear,  than  they  could  in 
the  front ;  but  these  few  shots  will  have  more  effect  on  the 
minds  of  the  enemy  than  the  fire  of  a  whole  regiment  in 
their  front.  The  Americans  were  vastly  inferior  in  num 
bers  to  the  British,  and  must  at  any  rate  have  been  forced 
from  the  ground ;  but  the  British  light  infantry  passing 
through  the  swamp  was  the  first  misfortune. 

The  Continental  currency  was  now  greatly  depreciated. 
Provisions  very  scarce  and  dear,  flour  especially  so,  and 
many  families  in  Boston  almost  destitute  of  this  necessary 
article. 

26th. — The  following  resolution  of  Congress  was  pub 
lished  in  the  Boston  newspapers : 

In  CONGRESS,  October  8th,  1778. 

Resolved,  That  all  limitations  of  prices  of  gold  or  silver 
be  taken  off. 

27th. — It  was  learnt,  that  the  Supreme  Executive  Coun 
cil  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  had  exhibited  a  number 
of  charges  against  Maj.  Gen.  Arnold,  while  in  command 
at  Philadelphia. 

March  7th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Gen.  Tryon 
had  lately  made  an  excursion  to  Horseneck,  in  Connecti 
cut,  where  he  burnt  three  small  vessels,  destroyed  all  the 
salt  works,  and  one  store;  plundered  the  inhabitants  of 
their  clothing,  &c.  and  carried  off  about  200  cattle  and 
horses,  and  some  small  stock.  The  party  consisted  of  about 
600  light-horse,  light-infantry,  rangers,  &c.  The  enemy 
got  off  with  the  loss  of  2  men  killed  and  20  made  prisoners; 


186 

giving  out  that  their  party  was  the  advance  of  a  body  of  3 
or  4000,  they  deceived  the  militia,  and  so  escaped  a  severe 
drubbing. 

llth — It  was  learnt,  that  on  the  25th  ult.  the  British 
made  an  excursion  from  Staten  Island,  with  intent  to  sur 
prise  General  Maxwell,  who  was  stationed  with  his  bri 
gade  at  Elizabeth-Town,  in  the  Jersies.  They  landed  at  the 
point  a  little  before  day-break,  and  in  such  superior  force 
as  obliged  the  General  to  abandon  the  town,  which  he  ef 
fected  without  loss.  The  enemy  burnt  the  General's  quar 
ters,  the  barns,  and  a  store  or  two,  and  then  returned. 

29th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  General  Wash 
ington  had  issued  a  proclamation  offering  a  pardon  to  all 
deserters  from  the  army  of  the  United  States,  who  should 
return  to  their  duty  by  the  first  day  of  May  following ;  and 
also  called  upon  all  absent  officers  to  join  their  respective 
corps  by  that  time. 

Maj.  Gen.  Sullivan  was  ordered  from  Providence  to  the 
main  army,  and  Maj.  Gen.  Gates  to  the  command  at  Provi 
dence. 

Capt.  Mowatt  again  made  his  appearance  on  the  eastern 
coast;  he  had  landed  some  men,  and  burnt  Mr.  Shaw's 
house. 

Intelligence  was  received,  that  the  British  had  gained 
an  advantage  on  the  borders  of  Georgia,  near  Briar  Creek. 
Col.  Elbert,  with  a  number  of  others,  were  taken  prisoners. 
Matters  did  not  wear  a  favourable  aspect  in  that  quarter ; 
but  it  was  hoped  that  Gen.  Lincoln,  who  had  now  got  the 
command,  would  give  a  new  complexion  to  things  at  the 
southward. 

April  2d. — Maj.  Gen.  Gates  left  Boston  for  Providence; 
in  consequence  of  which,  the  command  again  devolved  on 
our  General. 

llth. — It  was  learnt,  that  a  fleet  of  refugee  cruisers 
made  an  attempt  to  land  a  number  of  men  near  Falmouth, 
(Cape-Cod)  but  were  repulsed  by  the  militia.  They  next 
proceeded  to  Nantucket,  where  they  plundered  the  inhabi- 


187 

tants  of  goods  and  effects.  Edward  Winslow,  formerly  of 
Marshfield,  was  said  to  be  commander,  with  George  Leo 
nard,  and  others. 

16th. — The  Continental  frigates,  Warren,  Ranger,  and 
Queen  of  France,  had  been  very  successful  in  a  cruise,  hav 
ing  taken  seven  or  eight  prizes  going  from  New  York  to 
Georgia :  they  were  now  coming  in ;  among  them  the  Jason, 
of  20  guns  and  150  men ;  and  Maria,  of  16  guns — four  field 
and  about  twenty  commissioned  officers,  were  on  board.  A 
large  number  of  accoutrements  for  dragoons,  dry  goods 
to  the  amount  of  £100,000,  and  it  was  said  a  sum  in  specie 
—a  large  quantity  of  flour,  &c. 

A  great  uneasiness  prevailed  in  the  army  at  Providence, 
on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  flour.  Belief  was  sent  on. 

May  3d. — Capt.  Farnald1,  of  New  Hampshire,  was  un 
fortunately  shot  in  the  breast,  as  he  was  standing  on  Han 
cock's  wharf,  by  a  musket-ball  discharged  from  the  War 
ren  frigate. 

7th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Col.  Vanscaak2,  of 
the  New  York  line,  with  about  500  men,  had  lately  made 
an  excursion  to  Onondaga,  surprised  the  castle,  killed  12 
Indians,  and  took  34  prisoners ;  destroyed  their  castle,  cat 
tle,  provisions,  &c.  without  the  loss  of  a  man. 

llth. — Several  vessels  laden  with  rice,  on  account  of  the 
United  States,  arrived  at  Boston  from  the  southward, 
which  was  a  great  relief  to  the  troops. 

An  embarkation  of  troops  had  sailed  from  New  York, 
under  the  command  of  Gen.  Matthews3,  convoyed  by  the 
ships  under  the  command  of  Sir  George  Collier.  They  en 
tered  the  Capes  of  Virginia,  on  the  8th.  The  9th  or  10th 
they  took  possession  of  a  fort  at  the  entrance  of  Eliza 
beth  Kiver,  on  the  west  side.  They  destroyed  a  number  of 
vessels,  stores,  provisions,  &c.  and  returned. 


1  Tobias  Fernald,  18th  Continentals. 

2  Col.  Goose  Van  Schaick,  1st  N.  Y.;  Gen.  James  Clinton  commanded 
the  expedition. 

3  Gen.  Edward  Mathew. 


188 

30th. — Sir  Henry  Clinton  moved  up  the  Hudson,  with  a 
large  body  of  troops,  covered  by  Sir  George  Collier's  naval 
force,  which  had  just  returned  from  Virginia.  The  inten 
tion  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  to  seize  the  posts  at  King's 
Perry. 

31st. — Gen.  Vaughan,  with  the  troops  under  his  com 
mand,  landed  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  a  few  miles  be 
low  Verplank's;  and  Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  on  the  west 
side,  a  little  below  Stony-Point.  They  soon  got  possession 
of  both  the  points,  and  immediately  rendered  them  more 
defensible. 

June  4th. — Our  General  received  orders  from  Gen. 
Washington  to  join  the  main  army.  He  had  before  ordered 
all  the  heavy  cannon  at  Boston  and  Providence,  belonging 
to  the  United  States,  to  be  sent  on  to  Hudson's  River ;  they 
were  sent  on,  slung  under  two  pair  of  stout  cart-wheels 
each,  and  were  a  ponderous  load. 

Our  General  received  polite  and  affectionate  addresses, 
on  his  leaving  the  department,  from  the  officers  of  the  line 
—staff  department — the  officers  of  the  Boston  regiment  of 
militia,  &c. 

On  the  llth,  he  left  Boston,  accompanied  by  a  large  and 
respectable  number  of  officers  and  citizens,  in  carriages 
and  on  horse-back,  as  far  as  Watertown,  where  the  gentle 
men  had  ordered  an  elegant  dinner  to  be  provided.  After 
having  dined,  he  took  his  leave,  amidst  a  shout  of  hearty 
wishes  for  his  health  and  prosperity. 

14th. — He  reached  Springfield — was  met  some  distance 
out  of  town,  by  Col.  Armand's  dragoons,  and  the  officers  of 
the  Springfield  department;  and,  on  entering  the  town, 
was  received  by  the  infantry  of  the  legion,  and  a  salute  of 
cannon  from  the  park.  Here  he  quitted  the  extent  of  his 
late  eastern  command.  He  was  escorted  out  of  town  by 
the  officers  of  the  several  military  departments,  and  Ar 
mand's  dragoons. 

21st. — He  arrived  at  New  Windsor ;  and  on  the  22d,  at 
tended  Gen.  Washington  to  West  Point. 


189 

23d. — Our  General  took  the  command  of  the  troops  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  having  in  front  all  the  out 
posts  towards  New  York,  on  that  side  of  the  river.  The 
British  were  now  in  possession  of  both  the  points  at  King's 
Ferry;  and  a  number  of  transports  had  lain  in  the  river 
for  some  time.  The  advanced  posts  of  the  Americans  at 
this  time,  on  this  side,  did  not  extend  lower  than  Peek's 
Kill ;  and  a  picket  mounted  every  night  at  the  south  foot 
of  Sugar-Loaf  Hill. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th,  about  200  of  the  enemy's 
light  horse1  came  up  as  far  as  Crom  Pond — surprised  two 
militia  pickets — killed  and  took  prisoners  about  30  men. 
About  130  light  infantry  of  the  enemy,  at  the  same  time, 
came  out  from  Verplank's  Point,  made  an.  excursion 
round,  and  then  returned. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th,  the  enemy's  light  horse,  and 
about  1000  infantry,  were  at  Pine's  Bridge.  Our  General 
ordered  200  light  infantry,  under  the  command  of  Lieut. 
Col.  Grosvenor2,  to  march  to  Robinson's  stores3,  near 
Marpoach  Pond,  to  cover  that  quarter. 

27th. — A  deserter  came  in  from  Verplank's  Point,  who 
reported  that  the  British  army,  except  five  or  six  regi 
ments,  were  to  leave  the  Points,  and  were  then  embarking. 
Soon  after,  upwards  of  30  sail  of  transports  were  seen, 
standing  down  the  river.  The  British  had  a  sloop  at  an 
chor  off  Peek's  Kill  landing,  and  a  ship  off  the  Dunder- 
berg.  Lest  the  enemy  meant  a  deception,  the  Americans 
were  ordered  to  lie  on  their  arms,  and  a  regiment  extra 
was  ordered  to  advance  on  thelieights. 

28th. — Three  deserters,  one  a  Hessian  musician  with  his 
horn,  came  in  from  the  enemy;  they  confirmed  the  testi- 


1  The    cavalry    were    Tarleton's    and    Simcoe's    from    White    Plains. 
They  burnt  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Yorktown. 

2  Thomas  Grosvenor,  3rd  Connecticut. 

3  Robinson's  Stores   were   probably   what   was    later   known   as   Red 
Mills,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  Lake  Mahopac,  which  is 
General  Heath's  "  Marpoach  Pond." 


190 

mony  of  the  former  deserter,  that  the  body  of  the  British 
army  had  left  the  Points. 

29th. — Moylan's  horse  crossed  the  river,  to  reinforce  the 
left;  they  were  to  be  followed  by  Armand's  legion.  At 
evening  a  deserter  came  in  from  the  enemy.  A  detachment 
from  the  British  at  Khode  Island  arrived  at  New  York. 

Congress,  by  ballot,  chose  our  General  a  Commissioner 
of  the  Board  of  War ;  which  was  communicated  to  him  by 
a  letter  from  his  Excellency  the  President,  which  he  re 
ceived  on  the  30th,  as  follows : 

PHILADELPHIA,  June  24th,  1779. 
"  SIR, 

I    have    the    pleasure    of    transmitting    to    you,    en 
closed,  an  extract  from  the  minutes  of  Congress,  of  the 
22d  ult.  by  which  y^ou  will  perceive  that  you  are  elected  to 
the  place  of  a  Commissioner  to  the  Board  of  War. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 

(Signed)     JOHN  JAY,  President. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

In  CONGRESS,  May1  22d,  1779. 

"  Congress  proceeded  to  the  election  of  a  Commissioner 
for  the  Board  of  War,  and  the  ballots  being  taken,  Maj. 
Gen.  W.  Heath  was  elected. 

Extract  from  the  Minutes. 
(Signed)  C.  THOMSON,  Secretary." 

Although  this  appointment  was,  in  its  nature,  very  hon 
ourable,  with  a  salary  proportionate,  (4000  dollars  per  an 
num)  and  our  General  was  informed  that  he  would 
also  retain  his  rank  in  the  army,  he  absolutely  declined  an 
acceptance  of  it;  expressing,  in  a  letter  to  his  Excellency 
the  President,  the  high  sense  he  entertained  of  the  honour 
done  him  by  the  appointment;  yet,  that  he  chose  rather  to 
participate  in  the  more  active  operations  of  the  field. 

1  So  in  the  original — obviously  a  mistake  for  "  June." — Ed. 


191 

July  1st. — Gen.  Huntington's  brigade  moved  down,  and 
took  post  at  the  gorge  of  the  mountains,  near  the 
Continental  Village.  A  deserter  came  in  from  the  enemy. 

2d. — Col.  Rufus  Putnam  reconnoitred  the  enemy's  posi 
tions  at  Verplank's  and  Stony  Points.  At  evening  a  de 
serter  came  in  from  the  enemy. 

About  360  of  the  enemy's  light  horse  and  light  infantry 
came  out  from  Mile- Square,  and  attacked  Col.  Sheldon's 
light  horse,  who  were  posted  at  Poundridge,  about  90  in 
number.  The  superior  force  of  the  enemy  obliged  our 
horse,  at  first,  to  retreat,  but,  being  reinforced  by  the 
militia,  they  in  turn  pursued  the  enemy.  Our  loss  was 
one  Corporal,  one  Trumpeter,  and  eight  privates  wounded ; 
three  Sergeants,  one  Corporal,  and  four  privates  missing; 
and  12  horses  missing.  The  standard  of  the  regiment  being 
left  in  the  house  when  the  dragoons  suddenly  turned  out, 
was  lost.  Of  the  enemy,  one  was  killed,  four  taken  prison 
ers,  four  horses  taken,  and  one  horse  killed.  The  enemy  set 
fire  to  and  burnt  the  meeting-house  and  Maj.  Lockwood's 
house ;  they  also  burnt  Mr.  Hay's  house,  at  Bedford. 

The  5th  was  an  excessive  hot  day,  with  a  thunder 
shower;  the  lightning  struck  in  the  encampment  of  Col. 
Putnam's  regiment,  on  Constitution  Island,  by  which  one 
man  was  killed;  several  received  much  hurt,  and  a  large 
number  were  stunned. 

The  enemy  entered  the  Sound — landed,  and  took  pos 
session  of  New-Haven — plundered  and  insulted  the  inhabi 
tants,  and  left  the  place. 

7th. — The  enemy  landed  at  Pairfield,  and  burnt  many 
houses,  &c. 

10th. — About  6  o'clock,  P.  M.  our  General  received  or 
ders  from  Gen.  Washington  to  march,  with  the  two  Con 
necticut  brigades,  by  the  way  of  Crom  Pond,  towards  Bed 
ford.  The  next  morning,  although  rainy,  the  first  brigade 
marched  to  the  Village. 

12th. — The  storm  ceasing,  the  tents    (although  as  wet 


192 

as  water  could  make  them)  were  struck,  and  the  troops 
took  up  their  line  of  march,  reaching  Amawalk  about  sun- 
setting.  A  report  having  been  spread  in  the  fore  part  of 
the  day,  that  the  enemy  were  at  or  near  Pine's  Bridge,  our 
General  ordered  the  baggage-wagons,  under  proper  es 
cort,  to  file  off  to  the  left  and  pursue  a  road  running  par 
allel  with  the  one  on  which  the  column  was  moving,  thereby 
keeping  the  column  between  the  enemy  and  the  wagons. 
Both  arrived  on  the  ground  of  encampment  within  a  few 
minutes  of  each  other.  The  troops  lay  on  their  arms,  with 
out  pitching  their  tents.  The  enemy  continued  their  depre 
dations  at  the  Sound,  and  burnt  some  houses  at  Norwalk. 

13th. — At  5  o'clock,  A.  M.  the  troops  took  up  their  line 
of  march,  and  reached  Eidgefield,  where  they  halted  for  the 
night.  The  next  morning,  our  General  sent  off  all  the  tents 
and  other  baggage  to  Danbury,  and  took  up  his  line  of 
march  towards  Stamford.  When  he  ascended  the  high 
grounds  in  sight  of  the  Sound,  the  enemy's  fleet  was  ob 
served  under  sail,  standing  off  and  on  between  Stamford 
and  Long  Island.  About  12  o'clock,  two  deserters  from 
Gen.  Clinton's  army  came  to  our  troops ;  they  had  left  the 
British  army  two  or  three  hours  before,  at  which  time  the 
enemy  were  on  the  point  of  making  a  movement ;  the  corps 
of  guides  and  pioneers  being  then  assembled  at  Gen.  Clin 
ton's  quarters.  This  called  for  the  exercise  of  discretion. 
The  troops  on  board  the  transports,  with  Gen.  Tryon,  if 
the  whole  should  land,  were  far  inferior  to  the  force  with 
our  General ;  but  the  main  British  army,  with  Gen.  Clin 
ton,  was  by  far  superior  to  his.  If  the  whole  of  the  Ameri 
cans  had  marched  down  to  Stamford,  Clinton,  by  five  or 
six  hours'  forced  marching,  might  have  crossed  his  rear 
and  have  cut  him  off  from  a  communication  with  the  High 
lands  ;  he  therefore  resolved  to  march  forward  to  the  Cross 
Roads,  one  of  which  went  directly  to  the  British  army,  an 
other  to  Stamford,  and  in  his  rear  to  the  Highlands.  Here 
he  took  a  position  in  order  of  battle,  and  detached  Col. 


193 

Starr's1  and  Meig's  regiments,  with  one  field-piece,  to 
Stamford,  whose  approach  towards  the  town,  in  open  view, 
would  prevent  Tryon  from  landing ;  or,  in  case  he  did  with 
superior  force,  the  detachment  might  be  surrounded.  In 
this  situation  the  troops  remained  until  dusk,  and  then 
took  a  more  advantageous  position  for  the  night,  the  whole 
lying  on  their  arms,  in  order  of  battle.  Early  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  15th,  our  General  received  information  that  the 
shipping  had  gone  down  towards  New  York ;  he  therefore 
moved  and  took  a  strong  position,  between  Ridgefield  and 
Bedford,  sending  out  patroles  of  horse  and  foot,  on  all  the 
roads.  This  movement  towards  the  Sound  quieted  the 
minds  of  the  people,  and  saved  Stamford  and  other  towns 
from  destruction. 

While  the  attention  of  both  the  grand  armies,  and  of 
the  adjacent  country,  was  turned  towards  the  Sound,  the 
Great  WASHINGTON  ordered  General  Wayne  to  strike  at 
Stony  Point  with  the  light  infantry,  which  lay  not  far  dis 
tant  from  that  post.  This  was  done  with  great  prompt 
itude,  the  works  being  carried  by  assault,  and  the  whole 
garrison  made  prisoners  of  war,  with  all  the  artillery,  am 
munition,  stores,  &c.  This  was  a  most  brilliant  affair. 

In  advancing  to  the  assault,  the  front  of  the  American 
column  led,  with  unloaded  arms,  relying  solely  on  the  use 
of  the  bayonet.  As  they  approached  the  works,  a  soldier 
insisted  on  loading  his  piece — all  was  now  a  profound  si 
lence — the  officer  commanding  the  platoon  ordered  him  to 
keep  on;  the  soldier  observed  that  he  did  not  understand 
attacking  with  his  piece  unloaded ;  he  was  ordered  not  to 
stop,  at  his  peril ;  he  still  persisted,  and  the  officer  instant 
ly  dispatched  him.  A  circumstance  like  this  shocks  the  feel 
ings  ;  but  it  must  be  considered  how  fatal  the  consequence 
would  have  been,  if  one  single  gun  had  been  fired ;  scores 
would  have  lost  their  lives,  and  most  probably  defeat 

1  Col.  Josiah  Starr,  1st  Connecticut. 


194 

would  have  been  consequent;  and  therefore  this  was  the 
lesser  evil. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th,  signal  guns  were  heard  in 
the  Sound,  towards  New  York,  at  intervals,  from  two 
o'clock  until  day-light.  Gen.  Clinton's  army  moved  to 
Mile- Square. 

Stony  Point  having  been  taken,  with  so  much  eclat  to  the 
American  arms,  Gen.  Washington  determined  an  attempt 
on  Verplank's  Point,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  and 
opposite  to  Stony  Point :  for  this  purpose  Maj.  Gen.  Howe, 
with  two  brigades  and  some  12-pounders  on  travelling  car 
riages,  was  ordered  to  proceed  by  the  way  of  Peek's  Kill, 
throw  a  bridge  over  the  creek,  move  on  to  the  point,  and 
open  batteries  against  the  enemy's  works,  while  a  cannon 
ade  and  bombardment  was  kept  up  across  the  river  from 
Stony  Point. 

17th. — At  about  10  o'clock,  A.  M.  our  General,  while 
out  reconnoitring,  received,  by  an  express  from  Gen.  Wash 
ington,  orders  to  move  as  expeditiously  as  possible  to 
Peek's  Kill,  where  he  would  find  Gen.  Howe  with  two  bri 
gades.  Our  General  was  to  take  the  command  of  the 
whole,  and  carry  into  effect  the  orders  which  had  been 
given  to  Gen.  Howe.  Our  General  returned  immediately  to 
the  troops,  and  at  12  o'clock  began  his  march  towards 
Peek's  Kill — marched  until  dusk  15  miles,  when  the  troops 
halted  and  laid  down  to  rest  on  the  side  of  the  road;  the 
dragoons  not  unsaddling  their  horses.  At  3  o'clock  the 
next  morning,  the  troops  resumed  their  march,  and  in  the 
afternoon  our  General  received  information  from  Gen. 
Howe,  by  express,  that  Gen.  Clinton  was  on  full  march 
with  his  whole  army  towards  Verplank's  Point :  an  answer 
was  returned,  at  what  point  the  troops  then  were,  and  that 
they  were  marching  as  fast  as  the  men  could  endure,,  and 
would  continue  so  until  they  reached  him.  When  the 
troops  had  advanced  a  little  to  the  westward  of  Drake's 

1  Several  places  are  known  as  Mile-Square;  this  one  was  probably  the 
present  Armonk,  Westchester  Co. 


195 

farm,  Col.  Moylan  came  up  from  Gen.  Howe,  with  infor 
mation  that  a  part  of  Clinton's  army  were  then  above  the 
New  Bridge  on  Croton  river,  pushing  for  the  point;  and 
that  he  was  retreating  from  the  point  as  fast  as  possible. 
On  this,  our  General  ordered  Gen.  Huntington,  with  his 
brigade  and  two  field-pieces,  to  push  forward  as  fast  as  the 
troops  could  march  and  keep  in  breath,  and  take  a  posi 
tion  on  the  high  ground  to  the  south  of  Peek's  Kill,  which 
commands  the  road  to  the  point,  and  also  that  to  the  New 
Bridge,  on  Croton  river ;  and  ordered  a  regiment  to  file  off 
to  the  right,  and  secure  the  pass  over  the  hills  between 
Drake's  and  Peek's  Kill,  and  also  ordered  the  flank-guard 
on  the  left  to  be  re-inforced,  and  to  send  out  small  flank- 
guards  still  further  from  its  flank.  The  troops  moving  on 
with  the  utmost  expedition  to  the  ground  which  Gen. 
Huntington  had  been  ordered  forward  to  secure.  Every 
moment  that  passed  was  expected  to  announce  the  com 
mencement  of  an  action  between  the  advanced  or  flanking 
parties  of  the  two  armies,  but  it  did  not  take  place.  At 
this  moment,  Gen.  Washington,  having  learnt  how  matters 
stood,  and  that  possibly  Gen.  Clinton  might  attempt  to 
push  into  the  Highlands,  sent  an  express  to  our  General,  to 
move  into  the  Highlands  immediately,  which  was  done 
just  after  dark,  the  troops  passing  the  night  on  Bald  Hill. 
It  was  generally  the  opinion,  that  if  our  General  had  not 
been  at  hand  to  advance  in  the  manner  he  did,  that  Gen. 
Clinton,  by  a  forced  march  of  his  light  troops,  backed  by 
his  army,  would  have  got  in  the  rear  of  Gen.  Howe  be 
fore  he  could  have  possibly  gained  the  road  at  Peek's  Kill, 
and  between  his  army  and  a  sally  from  the  garrison  at 
Verplank's  Point  inevitably  cut  off  the  whole.  Our  troops 
at  Stony  Point  cannonaded  and  bombarded  the  enemy's 
works  at  Verplank's  during  the  whole  day,  and  until  near 
midnight.  The  post  was  then  evacuated,  and  the  Washing 
ton  galley  was  blown  up. 

19th. — The  troops  moved  from  Bald  Hill,  Parson's  bri- 


196 

gade  to  Robinson's,  Huntington's  and  Paterson's  to  Nel 
son's1,  Nixon's  to  the  gorge  of  the  mountains. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th,  the  British  army  moved 
from  their  encampment,  near  the  New  Bridge,  to  Dobbs' 
Ferry.  The  shipping  in  Tappan  Bay  came  to  sail,  and 
stood  down  the  river.  By  a  new  disposition  of  the  Ameri 
can  army,  on  this  day,  our  General  was  to  command  the 
left  wing ;  it  then  consisted  of  two  regiments  of  horse,  and 
two  divisions  of  infantry. 

22d. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  Verplank's  Point; 
they  reported  that  the  garrison  consisted  of  about  1000 
men.  This  day  about  40  sail  of  transports  sailed  up  the 
Sound.  The  British  army  encamped  near  Dobbs'  Ferry, 
their  advanced  picket  at  Jonathan  Odle's2,  three  miles  be 
low  Tarrytown;  from  this  encampment  the  enemy  moved 
to  Mile-Square,  Valentine's  Hill,  &c.  A  deserter  from  Ver 
plank's  Point  reported  that  the  British  had  again  taken 
possession  of  Stony  Point,  and  were  repairing  the  works, 
their  force  on  both  sides  of  the  river  being  about  1500; 
and  that  they  had  got  up  the  guns  of  our  galley,  which 
had  been  blown  up. 

25th. — The  British  having  sent  Col.  M'Lean,  in  the 
month  of  the  preceding  June,  with  six  or  seven  hundred 
men,  to  establish  a  post  at  the  mouth  of  Penobscot  river, 
the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  determined  to  dislodge 
them,  and  made  arrangements  for  the  purpose.  The  arma 
ment,  with  the  troops,  made  their  appearance  on  this  day 
before  the  posts ;  the  issue  is  detailed  in  a  subsequent  page. 

26th. — Four  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy ;  they  re 
ported  that  Stony  Point  was  repairing  with  great  expedi 
tion,  and  that  Lord  Cornwallis  arrived  at  New  York  on 
the  24th. 

28th. — Four  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  Capt. 
Hopkins,  of  the  dragoons,  took  the  Captain  of  the  Bellona 


1  Nelson's  Point    is    the    present    Garrisons,    nearly    opposite   West 

i~»-^i«.  A 


Point. 


2  The  Odell  Tavern  is  still  standing  at  Elmsford,  east  of  Tarrytown. 


197 

transport,  a  sergeant  and  Corporal  of  the  64th  British 
regiment,  and  two  seamen,  who  had  ventured  too  far  on 
the  shore  near  Sing-Sing. 

29th. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy. 

30th. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  Verplank's  Point. 
This  morning,  Capt.  Hopkins,  of  Moylan's  light  dragoons, 
fell  in  with  a  party  of  the  enemy,  under  Col.  Emmerick, 
near  Young's  tavern,  and  charged  them  vigorously ;  but  the 
Colonel  being  supported  by  the  Hessian  Jitgers,  Capt.  Hop 
kins  was  obliged  to  retreat :  he  brought  off  with  him  three 
prisoners  and  four  horses,  and  killed  six  of  the  enemy  on 
the  spot,  and  wounded  a  number.  Several  prisoners  which 
he  had  taken,  were  retaken  by  the  enemy.  Capt.  Hopkins 
had  one  dragoon  and  two  horses  wounded.  The  British 
army  were  under  marching  orders  for  several  days. 

31st. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  A  body 
of  the  enemy  landed  in  the  Jersies. 

August  1st. — Capt.  Hopkins  gave  notice  that  the  British 
army  had  moved  below  Kingsbridge.  Three  deserters 
came  in  from  the  enemy. 

2d. — Six  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  The  Brit 
ish  army  encamped  on  York  Island :  Emmerick's  and  Bear- 
more's  corps  above  Kingsbridge.  The  American  army  re 
mained  at  their  respective  posts  in  the  Highlands. 

5th. — About  100  horse  of  Sheldon's,  Moylan's  and  of 
the  militia,  and  about  40  infantry  of  Glover's  brigade, 
passed  by  Delancey's  mills  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Morri- 
sania,  where  they  took  12  or  14  prisoners,  some  stock,  &c. 
The  enemy  collected — a  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  the 
enemy  had  a  number  of  men  killed  and  wounded ;  our  loss, 
two  killed,  and  two  wounded.  The  British  army,  below 
the  7  mile  stone  on  York  Island,  were  alarmed  by  a  report 
that  a  French  fleet  were  on  the  coast.  Three  deserters 
from  Verplank's  Point;  they  reported,  that  the  garrison, 
except  400  men,  were  to  remove  to  New  York. 

9th. — Four  deserters  from  the  point. 


198 

10th. — Two  deserters  from  the  enemy.  There  were  some 
desertions  from  our  army  to  the  enemy. 

14th.— Four  prisoners,  taken  the  12th,  near  Sing- 
Sing,  were  sent  up,  and  two  deserters  from  the  British 
33d  regiment  came  in. 

17th. — Three  deserters  from  the  enemy. 

18th. — Seven  deserters  came  in;  the  enemy  were  very 
strongly  fortifying  Laurel-Hill,  on  New  York  Island, 
nearly  opposite  to  Fort  Washington. 

19th. — 23  wagon-loads  of  forage  were  brought  off  from 
the  vicinity  of  Peek's  Kill,  covered  by  250  men,  under  the 
command  of  Lt.  Col.  Putnam.  The  galley  and  one  of  the 
enemy's  gun-boats  fired  a  number  of  cannon-shot  at  the 
party,  but  did  them  no  harm.  The  night  before,  Maj.  Lee, 
with  about  400  men,  surprised  and  took  the  garrison  at 
Paulus  Hook. 

20th. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy. 

21st. — Two  deserters  came  in.  At  night,  the  enemy's 
guard-boats  came  as  far  up  the  river  as  Anthony's  Nose, 
and  fired  several  shot  at  the  camp  of  our  light  infantry. 

23d. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  The 
enemy  burnt  two  houses  belonging  to  the  Lents,  near  Ver- 
plank's  Point.  Accounts  were  received  that  Gen.  Sullivan 
had  advanced  into  the  Indian  country,  and  taken  two  of 
their  principal  villages. 

25th. — Admiral  Arbuthnot  arrived  at  New  York,  with 
about  200  sail  of  transports :  between  2  and  3000  troops 
arrived  in  the  fleets,  and  a  large  sum  of  money  was  brought 
for  the  army.  The  continental  frigates  were  very  success 
ful  at  sea,  and  sent  into  Boston  several  rich  sugar  ships. 

30th. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  Verplank's  Point; 
and  a  prisoner  belonging  to  the  33d  regiment,  taken  by  one 
of  our  patrolling  parties,  was  sent  up.  About  15  sail  of 
square-rigged  vessels  lay  at  anchor  near  King's  Ferry. 
1231  recruits,  of  the  2000  ordered  by  Massachusetts,  to 
serve  $  months,  had  already  joined  the  army. 

September  4th. — Three  deserters  from  the  enemy. 


199 

5th. — Two  deserters  came  in.  Preparations  were  mak 
ing  in  New  York  for  an  embarkation  of  troops.  The  Brit 
ish  army  sickly,  especially  the  newly  arrived  reinforce 
ment. 

6th. — The  enemy  made  an  excursion  from  Kingsbridge, 
towards  Horseneck ;  on  their  return  they  carried  off  some 
cattle,  sheep,  poultry,  &c.  Accounts  were  received,  that 
General  Sullivan  had  obtained  further  advantages  in  the 
Indian  country. 

9th. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  Putrid 
fever  and  scurvy  raged  at  New  York,  among  the  British 
troops.  The  American  army  remained  in  their  former  posi 
tion:  the  Virginia  line,  near  Kamapo,  on  the  right;  the 
light  infantry,  near  Fort  Montgomery ;  the  Maryland  line, 
on  the  left  of  the  light  infantry ;  Pennsylvania  line  and 
two  brigades  of  Massachusetts,  at  West  Point ;  North 
Carolina  brigade,  at  Constitution  Island;  the  Connecti 
cut  line,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  between  Nelson's 
and  Robinson's ;  Nixon's  brigade,  at  the  gorge  of  the  moun 
tains,  above  the  Continental  Village;  Glover's  brigade, 
Moylan's,  Sheldon's  and  Armand's  horse,  at  Lower  Salem. 
On  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson,  besides  Fort  Clinton,  at 
West  Point,  and  Fort  Putnam,  on  the  height  back  of  it, 
there  were  seven  or  eight  redoubts,  built  and  building.  On 
the  east  side  of  the  river,  the  north  and  middle  redoubts, 
and  a  redoubt  at  the  gorge  of  the  mountains.  Great  ex 
pectations  of  the  arrival  of  a  French  fleet  on  the  American 
coast. 

13th. — Four  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy. 

14th. — Just  after  reveille,  our  General  received  orders  to 
put  Nixon's  brigade  under  marching  orders,  which  was 
done  immediately.  Gen.  Howe  was  ordered  to  move  with 
Glover's  to  Pine's  Bridge,  Croton  River,  and  Nixon's  to 
join  him. 

15th. — A  deserter  came  in  from  Verplank's  Point.  The 
day  before,  a  party  of  the  enemy's  horse  came  out  from 


200 

Kingsbridge,  with  intent  to  surprise  Lieut.  Col.  White1 ; 
but  by  the  desertion  of  one  of  the  party,  they  were  dis 
appointed.  The  Count  de  la  Luzerne,  the  new  French  min 
ister,  arrived  and  dined  at  Gen.  Washington's. 

16th. — Nixon's  brigade  marched  to  form  a  junction  with 
Glover's,  and  a  picket  of  150  men  mounted  at  the  Village. 
Four  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  Count  Luzerne 
was  highly  pleased  with  the  treatment  he  received  in  pass 
ing  through  the  New-England  States.  The  17th,  he  left 
head- quarters,  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia. 

18th. — Gen.  Howe  was  ordered  to  march  back  to  Lower 
Salem,  with  Glover's  and  Nixon's  brigades. 

19th. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  Some 
appearances  indicated  an  evacuation  of  Verplank's  Point. 

22d. — A  deserter  came  in  from  Kingsbridge.  Prepara 
tions  for  the  embarkation  of  a  large  body  of  troops  con 
tinued  at  New  York. 

29th. — Two  deserters  from  the  enemy,  and  one 
the  day  before. 

30th. — The  engineers,  covered  by  a  detachment  of  300 
men,  reconnoitred  the  enemy's  works  at  Verplank's;  the 
enemy  appeared  to  be  much  alarmed,  and  fired  a  number 
of  cannon  and  small-arms  at  our  party,  and  a  reinforce 
ment  came  over  from  Stony  Point.  At  evening  another 
deserter  came  in. 

October  1st. — The  American  light  infantry  moved  down 
near  to  Kakeat,  and  the  North  Carolina  brigade  from  Con 
stitution  Island  to  New- Windsor.  One  deserter  from  the 
enemy. 

2d. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  Certain 
intelligence  was  received,  that  the  Count  D'Estaing  had 
arrived  at  Georgia.  The  enemy  at  Verplank's  Point 
opened  a  number  of  pits,  about  five  feet  deep,  and  four 
feet  over,  with  a  sharp  stake  in  the  middle,  around  the 
outside  of  the  abatis.  By  the  last  accounts  from  Gen. 


1  Anthony  Walton  White  of  New  Jersey, 


201 

Sullivan,  he  was  at  Tioga,  on  his  return  this  way;  he  had 
destroyed  a  great  number  of  Indian  towns,  and  immense 
quantities  of  corn  and  other  produce,  and  cut  down  many 
fruit-trees.  It  is  a  great  pity  the  latter  were  not  spared  ;* 
they  would  have  been  very  pleasing  to  the  American  set 
tlers,  who  will  one  day,  not  far  distant,  fill  that  fertile 
country. 

A  number  of  armed  vessels,  from  the  Connecticut  ^ports 
on  the  Sound,  cut  out  and  brought  off  a  number  of  the 
enemy's  vessels  from  Huntington  harbour,  Long  Island, 
and  the  Halifax  brig  was  taken  by  an  armed  galley. 

4th. — Five  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy.  Gen. 
Howe  was  ordered  to  take  post  again  at  Pine's  Bridge. 

5th. — The  Sieur  Gerard,  the  late  French  Minister,  came 
to  camp,  and  dined  at  head-quarters.  Two  days  before, 
Lieut.  Gill2,  of  the  dragoons,  patrolling  in  East  Chester, 
found  a  superior  force  in  his  rear,  and  no  alternative  but 
to  surrender  or  <'"t  his  way  through  them;  he  chose  the 
latter,  and  forced  his  way,  when  he  found  a  body  of  in 
fantry  still  behind  the  horse;  these  he  also  charged,  and 
on  his  passing  them,  his  horse  was  wounded  and  threw 
him,  when  he  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands.  Two  of  the 
Lieutenant's  party,  which  consisted  of  24,  were  killed,  and 
one  taken  prisoner;  the  rest  escaped  safe  to  their  regi 
ments. 

Congress  about  this  time  appointed  the  Hon.  John 
Adams,  a  Plenipotentiary,  extra,  to  repair  to  France 
to  negotiate  for  a  peace  with  Great  Britain,  when 
an  opportunity  occurred.  The  British  fortified  Governor's 
Island,  in  the  harbour  of  New  York,  and  appeared  under 
great  apprehensions  of  a  visit  from  the  French  fleet  under 
the  Count  D'Estaing.  The  troops  and  shipping  at  Rhode 
Island  were  ordered  to  New  York. 

7th. — One  deserter  from  Verplank's  Point.    There  was  a 

1  General  Heath's  remark  was  prophetic— the  Genesee  Country  has  since 
been  famed  for  its  orchards. 

2  First  Lieut.  Erasmus  Gill  of  Moylan's  Dragoons. 


202 

cannonade  between  our  infantry  at  Grassy  Point  and  one 
of  the  enemy's  guard-ships,  when  the  latter  was  driven 
from  her  moorings. 

8th. — The  light  infantry  of  Glover's  brigade  crossed  the 
Hudson  to  join  Gen.  Wayne.  The  British  had  a  number 
of  ships  ready  to  sink  in  the  channel,  in  case  a  French  fleet 
arrived,  and  attempted  to  enter  the  harbour  of  New  York. 
The  merchants  in  the  city  packing  up  their  goods. 

9th. — A  fleet  of  transports  passed  the  Sound  towards 
Khode  Island. 

The  General  Officers  of  the  American  army  resolved  to 
address  Congress,  respecting  themselves  and  the  army. 

llth. — There  was  a  cannonade  in  the  river  between  the 
American  and  British  gun  boats ;  but  no  damage  was  done. 

Sir  Joseph  Yorke,  the  British  Minister  at  the  Hague,  ad 
dressed  their  High  Mightinesses  on  the  22d  of  the  preced 
ing  July,  in  such  language  as  evinced  the  feelings  of  the 
British  nation.  One  deserter  from  Verplank's  Point. 

12th. — Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  Col.  Robinson  came 
up  to  Verplank's  Point,  in  the  ship  Fanny,  and  returned 
the  next  day ;  after  which,  the  workmen  at  the  point  ceased 
working.  The  troops  of  the  enemy  sickly  at  the  Points. 

13th. — Two  deserters  came  in. 

14th. — Two  prisoners  of  war  were  sent  up,  and  four  de 
serters  came  in.  The  British  transports  were  collected 
near  Turtle  Bay,  and  their  ships  of  war  near  the  Narrows. 

15th. — Seven  deserters  came  in  from  Verplank's  Point; 
they  reported  that  the  enemy  were  putting  their  baggage, 
sick,  the  women,  &c.  on  board  the  transports. 

16th. — 14  prisoners,  seamen  taken  by  Capt.  Hallet's1 
company  of  New  York  militia  two  days  before,  on  the 
North  River,  near  Teller's  Point,  were  sent  up,  and  one  de 
serter  came  in.  Just  before  sun-set,  a  galley  and  several 
of  the  enemy's  gun-boats  came  up  the  river  as  high  as 
Fort  Montgomery,  and  fired  a  number  of  shot  at  some  of 

1  Probably  Jonathan  Hallelt,  2nd  N.  Y. 


203 

our  boats,  and  at  the  troops  on  the  west  side  of  the  river ; 
the  Americans  discharged  some  muskets  from  the  banks 
at  the  boats,  and  the  latter  returned  down  the  river. 

17th. — One  deserter  came  in  from  the  enemy. 

19th. — One  deserter  from  Verplank's  Point. 

21st. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  Verplank's,  and  re 
ported  that  the  enemy  were  on  the  point  of  evacuating 
their  works.  The  officer  commanding  the  advance  picket 
soon  after  sent  information  that  the  works  appeared  to  be 
on  fire,  and  the  shipping  standing  down  the  river.  Maj. 
Waldbridge3,  who  commanded  the  advance  picket,  immed 
iately  sent  a  detachment  to  take  possession  of  the  works. 
Several  loaded  shells  left  by  the  enemy,  in  places  where  the 
fire  would  come  at  them,  burst,  but  did  no  harm.  The 
enemy  left  one  horse,  a  few  old  intrenching  tools,  and  some 
other  trifles  at  the  point.  The  transports  came  to  anchor 
off  the  mouth  of  Croton  River;  and  information  was  re 
ceived  that  the  British  grenadiers  were  on  board  the  trans 
ports,  in  the  river  near  Fort  Washington,  and  the  7th  and 
33d  regiments  in  readiness  to  embark  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Our  General,  lest  there  might  be  an  attempt  made  on  Gen. 
Howe's  division,  ordered  a  detachment  of  500  men  ancl 
half  the  Village  picket,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Brad 
ley2,  to  march,  and  take  post  during  the  night,  towards 
the  New  Bridge,  on  Croton  River,  to  cover  the  right  flank 
of  Howe's  division. 

22d. — About  noon,  the  enemy's  transports  came  to  sail 
with  the  ebb,  and  beat  down  against  the  wind,  and  were 
soon  out  of  sight. 

24th. — Col.  Bradley's  detachment  returned  to  camp.  The 
Colonel  reported  that  he  observed  large  quantities  of 
forage  and  fruit  in  the  fields  between  Verplank's  Point 
and  Croton  River.  To  secure  the  forage,  and  cover  the 
communication  by  King's  Ferry,  Gen.  Washington  ordered 
our  General  to  move  down  and  encamp  at  Peek's  Kill. 

1  Amos  Walbridge,  2nd  Conn. 

2  Philip  Burr  Bradley,  5th  Conn. 


204 

27th. — The  Connecticut  line  moved  down  and  encamped 
on  the  high  ground  to  the  southward  of  Peek's  Kill,  and 
Maj.  Gen.  Hoe's  division  was  ordered  up  to  form  a  junc 
tion.  The  day  before,  the  enemy  landed  a  body  of  troops, 
said  to  be  some  thousands  strong,  at  Amboy,  and  advanced 
towards  Brunswick.  The  light  infantry,  and  the  Virginia 
line,  were  ordered  to  move  down  that  way. 

A  man,  who  said  he  was  a  Lieutenant  in  the  British 
service,  and  who  produced  a  commission,  came  out,  pre 
tending  that  he  had  been  ill-treated,  &c. 

The  State  of  Massachusetts  appeared  to  be  determined 
to  fill  up  their  regiments,  and  offered  300  dollars  bounty 
to  those  who  would  enlist,  in  addition  to  the  Continental 
bounty,  which  was  200  dollars,  making  the  whole  bounty 
500  dollars.  This  morning  about  TO  sail  of  vessels,  many 
of  them  large  ships,  passed  down  the  Sound,  having  the 
garrison  of  Khode  Island  on  board. 

When  the  enemy  landed  yesterday  at  South  Amboy,  96 
horse  about  the  same  time  landed  at  Perth  Amboy,  and 
proceeded  rapidly  to  Middlebrook — burnt  Raritan  meet 
ing-house,  Somerset  court-house,  and  six  boats,  and  re 
turned  through  Spotswood  to  South  Amboy.  This  party, 
on  its  retreat,  was  met  by  13  of  the  militia,  who  fired  upon 
them,  killed  one  man  and  four  horses,  and  took  the  com 
manding  officer  Lieut.  Simcoe1,  and  one  trooper,  prisoners. 
By  the  capture  of  Simcoe,  the  inhabitants  were  freed  of  a 
very  enterprising  and  troublesome  officer.  The  destruc 
tion  of  the  boats  was  the  object  of  this  enterprise. 

29th. — Gen.  Howe's  division  formed  a  junction  with  the 
Connecticut  line,  and  encamped  with  them.  Strong  fatigue 
parties  were  daily  employed  on  the  works  evacuated  by  the 
enemy  at  Verplank's  and  Stony  Points.  Gen.  Lincoln  and 
the  Count  D'Estaing,  by  the  last  accounts  from  Georgia, 
had  formed  a  junction,  and  were  determined  to  attack  the 
enemy. 

1  Simcoe  was  exchanged  for  Colonel  Thomas  Reynolds,  2nd  Burling 
ton  County  (N.  J.)  militia. 


205 

31st. — Maj.  Bunchoten1  arrived  at  camp,  with  a  detach 
ment  of  Lieut.  Col.  Paulding's  New  York  levies;. they  were 
ordered  to  garrison  Stony  Point. 

November  1st. — Maj.  Armstrong,  Aid-de-camp  to  Maj. 
Gen.  Gates,  called  at  camp,  on  his  way  to  Congress,  with 
official  dispatches  of  the  evacuation  of  Rhode  Island,  which 
took  place  on  the  night  of  the  26th  ult.  The  British  left 
large  quantities  of  forage,  fuel,  &c.  Brigadier-General 
Stark  had  gone  on  to  Rhode  Island.  A  Hessian  Lieutenant 
belonging  to  the  Landgrave  regiment,  came  out  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  Fort  Washington ;  he  pretended  to  desire 
to  enter  the  American  service  as  a  volunteer.  A  prisoner 
of  war  was  also  sent  up  from  the  advance  guard. 

2d. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  a  body  of  Indians 
were  advancing  towards  Fort  Schuyler. 

7th. — Two  German  Jagers,  with  their  rifles,  came  to 
our  camp.  At  night,  Col.  Armand  proceeded  with  his 
corps  from  near  Tarrytown  to  the  vicinity  of  Morrisania, 
to  the  house  of  Alderman  Leggit2,  where  he  surprised  and 
took  Maj.  Bearmore  and  five  other  prisoners.  The  secrecy, 
precaution,  gallantry  and  discipline  exhibited  by  the  Col 
onel  and  his  corps  on  this  occasion  did  them  much  honour. 
In  the  capture  of  Maj.  Bearmore3,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
adjacent  country  were  relieved  from  the  frequent  excur 
sions  of  a  troublesome  officer.  The  British  augmented 
their  troops  on  Staten  Island. 

llth. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  Col.  Wurmb's 
J  tigers. 

13th. — Five  prisoners  taken  by  Lieut.  Oakley4,  near 
Morrisania,  were  sent  to  camp.  The  enemy  had  a  redoubt, 
called  No.  8,  on  the  east  side  of  Haarlem  Creek,  nearly 
opposite  to  the  fort  on  Laurel  Hill,  and  under  the  fire  of 

lElias  Van  Benschoten  of  Lieut.-Col.  Albert  Pawling's  N.  Y.  Levies. 

2  William  Leggett. 

3  Bearmore-Baremore-Barmore  does  not  appear  in  Sabine's    Loya. 

4  Miles  Oakley,  4th  N.  Y. 


206 

its  cannon,  for  the  security  of  their  advanced  troops  on 
the  Morrisania  side. 

16th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  on  the  23d  of  Sep 
tember,  Gen.  Lincoln  and  the  Count  D'Estaing  broke 
ground  before  the  enemy's  works,  at  Savannah,  in  Georgia ; 
and  on  the  5th  of  October,  batteries  of  33  cannon  and  nine 
mortars  were  opened  and  continued  firing  with  intervals, 
until  the  8th,  without  the  wished-for  effect. 

9th. — In  the  morning  an  assault  was  made,  which  proved 
unsuccessful — the  Americans  were  repulsed  and  obliged  to 
retreat;  of  the  Americans,  170  were  killed  and  wounded; 
among  the  former,  Count  Pulaski,  a  remarkably  brave  and 
enterprising  officer,  of  Polish  descent.  The  Count  D'Est- 
aing  was  wounded  in  the  arm  and  leg.  It  was  said,  that 
of  the  French  troops,  330  were  killed  and  wounded.  Gen. 
Lincoln  retreated  to  Charleston.  It  being  rendered  cer 
tain  that  the  Count  D'Estaing  would  not  come  to  the 
northward,  the  American  main  army  was  distributed  to 
winter-quarters. — Moylan's,  Sheldon's,  Baylor's,  and  Bed- 
kins's1  dragoons  to  Connecticut — Poor's  brigade  to  Dan- 
bury-^-the  Massachusetts  line  to  West  Point,  and  the 
posts  in  the  Highlands — the  Virginia,  Maryland,  Pennsyl 
vania,  New-Jersey,  New  York,  and  Connecticut  lines, 
Hand;'s  and  Stark's  mixed  corps,  back  of  the  Scotch 
Plains,  New  Jersey — Lee's  corps,  and  a  detachment  of  in 
fantry,  towards  Monmouth — Marechaussee2,  with  the  main 
army. 

19th. — Four  prisoners  were  sent  up. 

23d. — Maj.  Gen.  Gates  and  his  family  came  to  camp 
from  Ehode  Island. 

25th. — The  troops  were  moving  to  their  different  places 
of  cantonment;  many  of  the  soldiers,  (as  fine  men  as  ever 


1  This  is  not  clear.     Henry    Bedkins    of    Pennsylvania    was  adjutant 
of  Moylan's  Dragoons  in  1777,  and  afterwards  was  of  Pulaski's  Legion, 

but  does  not  appear  as  ever  in  command  of  either. 

2  The  Mar6chauss6e  (Provost  Guard)  was  part  of  Col.  Armand's  corps. 


207 

stood  in  shoes)  were  marched  barefooted  over  the  hard 
frozen  ground,  and  with  an  astonishing  patience.  Remem 
ber  these  things,  ye  Americans,  in  future  times ! 

28th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  gave  our  General  the 
command  of  all  the  posts  and  troops  on  Hudson's  River, 
which  Gen. Washington  very  frequently  called  the  key  that 
locked  the  communication  between  the  eastern  and  south 
ern  States ;  and  of  all  the  posts  in  the  United  States,  was 
the  most  important.  This  was  the  second  time  that  our 
General  was  designated  to  command  them. 

29th. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  the  galley  in  the 
river. 

30th. — Early  in  the  morning,  Gen.  Washington  crossed 
the  Hudson  at  King's  Perry,  into  the  Jersies.  Maj.  Gen. 
Gates  was  to  proceed  to  Virginia — a  sergeant,  corporal, 
and  three  privates  were  carried  off  by  one  Joseph  M'Keel, 
a  sly,  artful  fellow,  in  the  service  of  the  enemy,  and  who 
conducted  many  recruits  from  the  country  to  them. 

December  2d. — Col.  Armand,  with  some  of  his  corps, 
went  down  to  Morrisania,  and  took  a  Capt.  Cruzer1,  of 
Bearmore's  corps,  and  two  men,  prisoners.  At  this  time 
the  troops  were  greatly  distressed  for  bread  and  the  horses 
for  forage;  the  former  occasioned  by  the  want  of  water 
at  the  mills.  All  the  horses,  except  such  as  were  absolutely 
necessary  for  incumbent  duties,  were  ordered  out  into  the 
country.  A  man  who  pretended  to  be  a  prophet,  came  out 
from  the  enemy — he  more  probably  was  a  spy. 

16th. — Col.  Paulding's  corps  was  ordered  from  Stony 
Point  to  Poughkeepsie,  a  great  desertion  having  taken 
place  in  the  corps.  The  Virginia  line  had  marched  to  the 
southward — the  enemy  at  New  York  preparing  for  the  em 
barkation  of  a  large  body  of  troops,  said  to  be  upwards  of 
10,000,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Gen.  Sir  Henry 
Clinton. 

Uohn  Harris  Cruger  of  N.  Y.,  Lieut.-Colonel  commanding  De  Lan- 
cey's  First  Battalion  of  Tories.  He  was  a  particularly  active  officer, 
and  successfully  held  Ninety-Six  against  Greene  in  1781. 


208  [1779 

29th. — Three  Hessian  deserters  came  into  our  army; 
they  reported  that  Gen.  Mathew  had  command  of  all  the 
posts  and  troops  on  the  north  end  of  York  Island,  above 
the  bridge,  &c.  The  long  talked-of  embarkation  of  troops 
at  New  York  sailed  on  the  26th.  The  fleet  was  said  to  con 
sist  of  near  200  sail.  The  enemy  boasted  that  it  was  con 
voyed  by  nearly  20  ships  of  war;  however,  it  was  well 
known  that  they  had  very  few  ships  of  the  line,  and  that 
they  were  under  great  apprehensions  of  falling  in  with  a 
superior  French  force.  They  went  to  the  southward. 

30th.— Lieut.  Col.  Newhall1,  with  250  men  properly  of 
ficered,  marched  to  do  duty  on  the  lines. 

31st. — There  was  a  great  body  of  snow  on  the  ground. 

1780.  January  1st. — Early  in  the  morning  about  100  sol 
diers  belonging  to  the  Massachusetts  regiments,  who  had 
enlisted  at  different  periods  subsequent  to  January,  1777, 
for  three  years,  pretending  that  their  time  of  service  now 
expired,  (although  many  of  them  had  months  to  serve,  be 
fore  their  three  years'  service  was  completed)  marched  off 
with  intent  to  go  home :  they  were  pursued  and  brought 
back:  some  of  them  were  punished;  the  greater  part  of 
them  pardoned.  Some  others,  at  other  posts,  conducted 
in  the  same  manner,  and  were  treated  as  the  first  men 
tioned.  Those  whose  time  of  service  was  expired  were 
all  discharged  with  honour. 

3d. — The  snow  had  got  to  be  about  four  feet  deep  on  a 
level,  and  the  troops  were  driven  to  great  difficulties  in 
keeping  open  the  communications  to  the  posts — obtaining 
provisions,  fuel,  forage,  &c.  and  so  intense  and  steady  was 
the  weather,  that  for  more  than  twenty  days  there  could 
not  be  discovered  the  least  sign  of  the  remission  of  the 
snow  in  any  places  the  most  open  to  the  influences  of  the 
sun.  The  Hudson  soon  becoming  passable  on  the  ice,  the 
troops  were  comfortably  supplied1  with  provisions;  but 
many  were  in  extreme  want  of  clothing. 

1  Probably   Ezra   Newhall.     He    was    of   the    5th    Mass,    up   to    May, 
1777. 


1780]  209 

8th. — The  light  infantry  belonging  to  the  regiments  in 
the  Highlands,  were  joining  their  respective  corps;  the 
corps  of  light  infantry  being  separated  for  the  winter. 

9th. — About  dusk,  the  north  redoubt  was  discovered  to 
be  on  fire  at  the  southwest  corner,  under  the  rampart, 
which  was  of  timber ;  the  fire  was  out  of  reach,  and  threat 
ened  the  destruction  of  the  whole  redoubt.  A  detachment 
from  West-Point  was  ordered  over  to  the  assistance  of  the 
garrison  of  the  redoubt;  but  so  strongly  dovetailed  and 
strapped  were  the  timbers  of  the  rampart,  that  the  fire  for 
a  time  seemed  to  baffle  every  exertion  to  extinguish  it. 
The  ammunition  and  about  100  barrels  of  salted  provis 
ions  in  the  magazine,  were  seasonably  removed  by  the  gar 
rison;  but  the  fire  was  not  extinguished  until  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  10th.  All  the  officers  and 
men  distinguished  themselves  on  this  occasion;  but  the 
conduct  of  Col.  Lyman1,  Col.  Sprout2,  and  Capt.  Drew3, 
were  conspicuous  indeed,  as  was  that  of  a  Sergeant  of  the 
garrison  of  the  redoubt,  who,  when  all  were  on  the  point  of 
quitting  the  redoubt,  lest  the  magazine  should  take  fire 
and  blow  up,  instantly  rushed  into  the  magazine,  and  did 
not  quit  it  until  he  had  thrown  out  every  cask  of  powder 
and  box  of  ammunition  deposited  in  it.  If  his  name  could 
be  recollected,  it  should  be  inserted. 

12th. — Artificers  and  fatigue-men  were  ordered  to  repair 
the  redoubt.  The  weather  continued  intensely  cold.  A 
man  belonging  to  the  garrison  of  West  Point  was  frozen 
to  death  on  his  return  from  New  Windsor  to  the  point; 
and  many  soldiers  were  frost-bitten.  Maj.  Gen.  Putnam, 
who  had  gone  home  on  furlough  about  this  time,  received 
a  paralytic  stroke  at  Hartford  in  Connecticut,  as  he  was 
on  his  return  to  the  army. 

17th. — The  Hudson  was  so  frozen,  that  travellers  safely 


1  David  Lyman,  Aide-de-Camp  to  Gen.  Heath. 

2  Ebenezer  Sprout,  Lieut.-Col.  12th  Mass.   (Died  Feb.  1805) . 

3  Probably  Seth  Drew,  captain  2nd  Mass  (Died  May  18,  1824). 


210 

crossed  the  river  on  the  ice  at  King's  Ferry.  A  Hessian 
deserter  came  in.  Two  days  before,  viz.  on  the  15th,  Maj. 
Gen.  Lord  Stirling  made  a  descent  on  Staten  Island,  with 
a  detachment,  consisting  of  about  2500  infantry,  and  some 
artillery ;  a  number  of  tents,  arms,  and  some  baggage,  be 
longing  to  Col.  Buskirk's  regiment,  was  taken  and  brought 
off,  with  some  liquors,  &c.  Some  of  the  American  soldiers 
deserted  to  the  enemy,  and  17  were  taken  prisoners. 

19th. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy,  and  re 
ported  the  strength  of  the  British  at  Fort  Washington. 
The  people  crossed  from  New  York  to  Long  Island  on  the 
ice.  About  this  time,  a  detachment  from  Col.  Mead's1  reg 
iment  of  levies  at  Horseneck,  and  a  number  of  volunteers 
from  Greenwich,  the  former  under  the  command  of  Cap 
tain  Keeler2,  the  latter  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Lock  wood3,  the  whole  about  80,  marched  to  Morrisania; 
and  about  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  made  an  attack  on 
Col.  Hatfield.  They  first  attacked  the  picket,  killed  3, 
and  drove  the  rest  into  the  Colonel's  quarters.  The  Col 
onel  and  his  men  took  to  the  chambers,  and  fired  out  at 
the  windows  and  down  stairs  at  those  who  had  entered 
the  house;  it  appeared  difficult,  if  possible,  to  dislodge 
them,  the  house  was  instantly  set  on  fire,  by  putting  a 
straw  bed  into  a  closet,  which  compelled  the  enemy  to  jump 
out  at  the  chamber  windows,  to  avoid  the  flames.  Colonel 
Hatfield,  one  Captain,  one  Lieutenant,  one  Quarter- 
Master,  and  11  privates,  were  taken  prisoners  and  brought 
off.  This  was  a  pretty  affair,  but  was  a  little  tarnished  on 
the  return  by  some  of  the  militia,  who  were  fatigued,  loiter 
ing  on  the  road  where  they  supposed  there  was  no  danger ; 
but  a  party  of  horse  pursuing,  overtook,  killed  and 
captured  several  of  them. 


1  Col.  John  Mead,  9th  Conn.  Militia. 

2  Capt.  Samuel  Keeler  of  Col.  Bradley's  State  regiment  of  militia 

3  Uncertain — possibly   Capt.   Samuel   Lockwood,   2nd    Continental   Ar 
tillery. 


211 

26th. — Between  11  and  12  o'clock  at  night,  a  fire  broke 
out  in  the  Quarter-Master's  barrack  at  West  Point,  which 
threatened  the  most  serious  and  extensive  damage.  It  had 
got  to  considerable  height  before  it  was  discovered;  the 
barrack  was  consequently  consumed  to  ashes,  notwith 
standing  every  exertion  of  the  garrison,  which  was  numer 
ous.  Brig.  Gen.  Paterson1,  who  commanded  .the  garrison, 
not  only  distinguished  himself,  but  also  exposed  his  per 
son  to  the  flames  to  save  another  building,  which  was  for 
tunately  effected.  The  loss  by  the  fire  was  considerable, 
both  to  the  public  and  to  individuals.  The  night  before, 
viz.  the  25th,  a  detachment  of  the  enemy,  said  to  consist  of 
500  men,  made  an  excursion  to  Staten  Island,  over  the  ice, 
to  Elizabeth-Town,  in  the  Jersies,  and  completely  sur 
prised  the  picket  posted  there,  consisting  of  a  Major  and 
100  men,  properly  officered ;  it  was  said  that  not  a  gun  was 
fired,  nor  a  man  hurt.  The  enemy  surrounded  the  houses, 
and  took  the  troops  asleep. — He  who  suffers  himself  to  be 
surprised,  through  the  want  of  proper  precaution,  his 
character  (says  a  great  military  writer)  is  irretrievable. 

February  1st. — At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  north 
redoubt  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire  again  in  the  top  of  the 
bomb-proof,  between  the  sally-port  and  the  door.  Every 
exertion  was  made  by  the  garrison  of  the  redoubt,  and  de 
tachments  sent  to  their  aid,  to  put  out  the  fire,  but  it  was  so 
much  out  of  reach,  and  spread  among  the  joints  of  the 
large  timbers,  that  it  was  not  extinguished  until  about 
two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3d.  The  redoubt  re 
ceived  considerable  damage,  and  would  have  been  totally 
destroyed  had  it  not  been  for  the  unwearied  exertions  of 
the  troops,  day  and  night,  during  the  whole  of  the  time: 
and  much  credit  was  due  to  Lieut.  Col.  Vose2,  and  the 
other  officers  who  commanded.  By  a  more  accurate  ac 
count  of  the  loss  at  the  Quarter-Master's  barrack  at  West 


Uohn  Paterson. 

2  Probably  Joseph  Vose,  Col.  1st  Mass. 


212 

Point,  it  appeared  that  6  marques1,  26  horsemen's  tents, 
80  common  tents,  900  knapsacks,  250  narrow  axes,  and  a 
number  of  other  articles  were  burnt  and  destroyed. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d,  about  9  o'clock,  the  enemy 
made  an  attack  on  Lieut.  Ool.  Thomson2,  who  commanded 
the  troops  on  the  lines ;  the  Colonel's  force  consisted  of  250 
men,  in  five  companies,  properly  officered;  they  were  in 
structed  to  move  between  Croton  River  and  the  White 
Plains,  Hudson's  River  and  Bedford ;  never  to  remain  long 
at  any  one  place,  that  the  enemy  might  not  be  able  to  learn 
of  their  manner  of  doing  duty,  or  form  a  plan  for  striking 
them  in  any  particular  situation.  The  Colonel  had  for  some 
days  taken  post  himself  at  Young's,  not  far  from  the  White 
Plains.  Capt.  Watson3  with  his  company,  was  with  the 
Lieut.  Colonel ;  Capt.  Roberts4,  and  Capt.  Stoddard5,  with 
their  companies,  were  on  the  right;  Capt.  Lieut.  Farley6 
and  Capt.  Cooper7  on  the  left.  The  force  of  the  enemy 
consisted  of  the  four  flank  companies  of  the  first  and  sec 
ond  British  regiments  of  Guards — detachments  from  two 
Hessian  battalions — some  mounted  Jagers  and  mounted 
refugees.  The  whole  under  the  command  of  Col.  Norton, 
of  the  Guards.  The  roads  were  so  filled  with  snow,  that 
the  enemy  advanced  but  slowly,  and  were  obliged  to  leave 
their  field-pieces  behind  them  on  the  road.  They  were  dis 
covered  at  a  distance  by  Mr.  Campbell,  one  of  our  guides, 
who,  from  the  goodness  of  his  horse,  reconnoitred  them 
pretty  near,  He  gave  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  notice  of 
their  advancing,  and  that  their  force  was  considerable, 
and  advised  him  to  take  a  stronger  position  a  little  in  his 
rear.  But  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  was  very  confident  that 

1  Marquees. 

2  Lieut-Col.  Joseph  Thompson,  10th  Mass. 

3  Capt.  William  Watson,  9th  Mass. 

4  Capt  Moses  Roberts,  15th  Mass. 

5  Capt.  Orange  Stoddard,  1st  Mass. 

6  Capt.-Lieut.  Michael  Farley  of  Wesson's  regiment. 

7  Capt.  James  Cooper,  14th  Mass. 


213 

the  enemy  were  only  a  body  of  horse,  and  that  he  could 
easily  disperse  them,  and  would  not  quit  his  ground.  The 
enemy  first  attacked  a  small  advance-guard,  consisting  of 
a  Sergeant  and  8  men,  who  behaved  well,  and  meant  to 
reach  the  main  body  in  season ;  but  were  prevented  by  the 
horse,  and  all  taken  prisoners.  The  enemy's  horse  soon 
appeared  in  sight  of  the  Americans,  and  discharged  their 
rifles  at  long  shot,  and  waited  the  coming  up  of  the  in 
fantry,  when  a  warm  action  commenced;  the  enemy  scat 
tered,  taking  the  advantage  of  the  ground  and  trees  in  the 
orchard,  and  closing  up  on  all  sides.  The  3  companies  of 
the  detachment,  which  had  joined,  fought  well.  After 
about  15  minutes'  sharp  conflict,  our  troops  broke;  some 
took  into  the  house,  and  others  made  off ;  the  enemy's  horse 
rushing  on  at  the  same  instant,  and  the  whole  shouting.  At 
this  time,  the  two  flank  companies  came  up,  but  finding 
how  matters  stood  judged  it  best  to  retreat,  Capt.  Stod- 
dard's  company  giving  a  fire  or  two  at  long  shot,  Capt. 
Cooper's,  from  their  distance,  not  firing  at  all.  Some  who 
were  engaged  effected  their  escape,  others  were  overtaken 
by  the  horse  The  enemy  collected  what  prisoners  they 
could,  set  Mr.  Young's  house  and  buildings  on  fire,  and 
returned.  Of  the  Americans,  13  were  killed  dead  on  the 
spot,  and  Capt.  Roberts,  who  was  mortally  wounded,  lived 
but  a  few  minutes.  Seventeen  others  were  wounded,  sev 
eral  of  whom  died.  Lieut.  Col.  Thomson  of  Marshall's, 
Capt.  Watson  of  Greaton's,  Capt.  Lieut.  Farley  of  Wes 
son's,  Lieut.  Burley1  of  Tupper's,  Lieut.  Maynard2  of  Grea 
ton's,  Ensign  Fowler3  of  Nixon's,  Ensign  Bradley4  of 
Bigelow's,  with  89  others,  Avere  taken  prisoners.  The 
enemy  left  3  men  dead  on  the  field,  and  a  Captain  of  gren 
adiers  was  wounded  in  the  hip,  and  a  Lieutenant  of  in- 


1  Lieut.  William  Burley,  llth  Mass. 

2  Lieut.-Jonathan  Maynard,  5th  Mass. 

3  Ensign  Stephen  Fowler,  6th  Mass. 

4  Ensign  Levi  Bradley,  4th  Mass. 


fantry  in  the  thigh.  The  British,  in  their  account  of  tbe 
action  acknowledged  that  they  had  5  men  killed,  and  18 
wounded.  Lieut.  Col.  Badlam1,  with  the  relief  for  the 
lines,  was  at  the  time  of  the  action  far  advanced  on  his 
march,  but  not  within  reach  of  those  engaged. 

One  Mayhew,  a  pedler,  well  known  in  Massachusetts, 
was  of  this  detachment;  he  made  off  up  the  road,  but  find 
ing  the  horse  rushing  on,  he  struck  off  into  the  snow,  al 
most  up  to  his  hips.  Two  of  the  enemy's  horse  turned  into 
his  track  after  him ;  and,  gaining  fast  upon  him,  he  aske^ 
them  if  they  would  give  him  quarter ;  they  replied,  "Yes, 
you  dog,  we  will  quarter  you."  This  was  twice  repeated ; 
when  Mayhew,  finding  them  inflexible,  determined  to  give 
them  one  shot  before  he  was  quartered ;  and,  turning 
round,  discharged  his  piece  at  the  first  horseman,  who 
cried  out  "The  rascal  has  broke  my  leg;"  when  both  of 
them  turned  their  horses  round  and  went  off,  leaving  May- 
hew  at  liberty  to  tread  back  his  path  to  the  road,  and  come 
off. 

7th. — A  body  of  the  enemy's  horse,  said  to  be  about  300, 
and  the  7th  British  regiment,  came  over  from  Long  Island 
to  West  Chester  on  the  ice.  The  troops  in  New  York,  about 
this  time,  drew  four  days'  provisions,  which  they  were  di 
rected  to  keep  cooked,  and  the  troops  to  be  in  readiness  to 
move  on  the  shortest  notice,  with  arms  and  blankets  only. 
A  number  of  sleighs  were  collected,  and  some  heavy  cannon 
were  drawn  out;  whether  an  attempt  on  Morristown  or 
the  Highlands  was  the  object,  was  not  known.  Several 
deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy,  and  in  this  month  there 
were  some  desertions  from  the  American  southern  regi 
ments  to  the  enemy.  The  enemy  also  made  an  excursion 
in  the  Jersies  as  far  as  Elizabethtown,  and  carried  off 
great  quantity  of  plunder. 

19th. — Some  small  parties  of  the  enemy  were  out  to 
wards  the  White  Plains. 

1  Lieut.-Col.  Ezra  Badlam,  2nd  Mass. 


215 

Our  General  having  obtained  leave  from  the  Commander 
in  Chief,  to  make  a  visit  to  his  friends  in  New-England, 
commenced  his  journey  eastward  on  the  21st  of  February, 
and  reached  his  house  in  Roxbury  on  the  29th.  It  appeared 
that  the  winter  had  been  as  severe,  and  the  snow  as  deep, 
in  the  New-England  States,  as  in  the  Highlands  of  New 
York. 

March  8th. — Our  General  addressed  the  Hon.  Council 
of  Massachusetts  on  the  importance  of  the  then  moment 
for  recruiting  their  battalions. 

By  the  master  of  a  flag  from  Bermuda,  information  was 
received,  that  the  fleet,  in  passing  from  New  York  to  the 
southward,  the  preceding  December,  suffered  consider 
ably  ;  and  that  an  ordnance  ship  was  lost. 

9th. — A  privateer  ship  of  18  guns,  prize  to  the  Tartar 
privateer,  was  sent  into  Boston. 

13th. — The  Committee  of  the  General  Court  of  Massa 
chusetts  were  issuing  notes  for  the  depreciation  of  the 
pay  of  the  troops  of  their  line:  these  were  sold  at  a  very 
great  discount. 

20th. — A  rich  Jamaica  ship,  prize  to  the  Continental 
frigate  Dearie,  arrived  safe  in  Boston  harbour.  The  same 
day,  there  was  a  report  that  Sir  Henry  Clinton  had  ar 
rived  at  South  Carolina,  with  the  British  troops  which 
sailed  from  New  York  in  December. 

The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  passed  a  resolution, 
granting  a  premium  of  £30  per  man  for  each  recruit  that 
should  be  enlisted  and  pass  muster  for  their  line. 

27th. — A  Marblehead  privateer,  the  Aurora,  sent  in  a 
prize  ship,  with  1600  barrels  of  flour — 1400  do.  of  beef  and 
pork ;  and  dry  goods  to  the  amount  of  £700  sterling. 

April  1st. — News  was  received  of  a  most  obstinate  en 
gagement  in  Europe,  between  the  French  frigate,  Surveil- 
lant,  Capt.  Conedic,  of  36  guns,  and  the  British  frigate, 
Quebec,  Capt  Farmer,  of  the  same  force.  The  French  frig 
ate  had  32  men  killed,  and  92  wounded.  The  Quebec  blew 
up,  and  her  whole  crew,  300,  except  40,  were  lost,  either  in 


216 

action  or  in  the  explosion.  This  engagement  did  honour 
to  the  bravery  of  both  nations. 

The  depreciation  of  the  Continental  money  rapidly  in 
creased  ;  many  people  withheld  their  merchandise  and  pro 
duce  from  sale,  and  the  times  were  truly  embarrassing.  An 
embarkation  of  some  thousands  of  Hessian  troops  took 
place  at  New  York  for  Carolina.  In  the  course  of  this 
month,  the  Maryland  line  of  the  army,  and  three  com 
panies  of  artillery,  marched  to  the  southward. 

26th. — News  was  received  that  the  British  had  got  their 
shipping  over  the  bar,  at  Charleston ;  that  the  Continental 
frigates  in  the  harbour  were  hauled  up,  and  their  guns 
taken  out  and  mounted  on  batteries:  the  garrison  or 
Charleston  numerous. 

27th. — The  privateers  Franklin  and  Jack  sent  into 
Salem  a  large  letter-of- marque  ship,  having  on  board  1000 
barrels  of  pork  and  beef,  750  barrels  of  flour,  800  firkins 
of  butter,  and  dry  goods  to  the  amount  of  £1 5,000 ;  she  was 
from  London,  bound  to  New  York. 

During  this  month  the  enemy  made  two  excursions  to 
Parainus,  where  they  killed  and  took  a  number  of  Ameri 
cans;  Maj.  Byles1,  of  the  Pennsylvania  line,  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  died  the  next  day.  The  enemy  burnt  Mr. 
G.  Hoper's2  houses  and  mills ;  the  militia  turned  out  spirit 
edly,  repulsed  and  pursued  the  enemy.  By  accounts  from 
Europe,  the  American  cause  was  viewed  in  a  very  favour 
able  light  by  the  Courts  in  that  part  of  the  world. 

28th. — The  French  frigate  Hermionc,  Capt.  Latouch,3  ar 
rived  at  Boston ;  in  whom  came  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette 
and  suite,  from  France.  The  inhabitants  of  Boston  ex 
hibited  the  greatest  demonstrations  of  joy  on  the  occas 
ion.  The  next  morning  the  Marquis,  Capt.  Latouch,  and 
other  officers,  made  a  visit  to  our  General:  the  Marquis, 
the  day  before,  on  his  landing  at  Hancock's  Wharf,  was 

1  Thomas  Langhorne  Byles  was  Major  of  the  3rd  Pennsylvania. 

2  Garret  Hopper. 

3  "  Latouch  "  Captain  de  la  Touche-Treville. 


217 

received  by  a  number  of  Continental  officers,  and  escorted 
to  his  lodgings;  after  which  he  paid  his  respects  to  the 
Honourable  Legislature,  who  were  then  in  session;  in  the 
evening  there  were  rejoicings. 

May  2d. — The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  set  out  from  Boston 
for  the  army. 

During  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts, 
they  received  an  order  from  Congress,  in  favour  of  the 
State,  for  2,000,000  dollars,  to  reimburse  the  State  in  part 
of  the  expense  of  the  Penobscot  expedition,  which  had 
greatly  involved  the  State.  The  enemy  having  taken  post 
at  Penobscot,  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  without 
applying  to  Congress,  determined  to  dislodge  them;  and, 
for  this  purpose,  ordered  a  body  of  militia  to  be  detached, 
under  the  command  of  Brig.  Gen.  Lovell ;  and,  in  addition 
to  their  own  State  vessels,  procured  a  number  of  priva 
teers,  belonging  to  individuals.  The  expedition  was  at 
tempted  ;  the  shipping  arrived  safe  in  Penobscot  Bay ;  the 
troops,  or  a  part  of  then*,  were  debarked  to  attack  the 
enemy,  but  they  did  not  succeed  in  their  attempt.  The 
armed  vessels,  instead  of  cruising  off  the  harbour,  where 
they  could  have  had  sea  room,  remained  in  the  bay.  The 
enemy  sent  a  naval  force  to  the  relief  of  the  post,  which 
arrived  and  found  the  American  shipping  in  the  river, 
who  immediately  ran  up  as  far  as  they  could,  where  the 
whole  were  destroyed,  and  the  militia  and  seamen  left  to 
find  their  way  home  through  the  woods.  This  was  an  un 
fortunate  affair  to  Massachusetts,  whose  privateers,  be 
fore,  were  numerous,  able  and  active,  and  greatly  annoyed 
the  enemy ;  and,  had  it  not  been  for  this  blow,  would  have 
been  of  great  public  benefit,  by  depriving  the  enemy  of 
many  of  their  provision  vessels,  and  of  increasing  provis 
ions  in  our  own  country.  Congress,  at  first,  seemed  to  de 
cline  bearing  the  expense,  as  they  had  never  been  con 
sulted  respecting  the  expedition;  but  they  finally  con 
sented  to  a  reimbursement. 

Congress  ordered  that  800  men,  in  the  pay  of  the  United 


218 

States,  should  cover  and  protect  the  Eastern  Country  the 
ensuing  summer. 

12th. — The  gentlemen   of   Boston   gave   a  ball   to   the 
French  and  American  officers. 

14th. — The  Hermione    frigate,    Oapt.    Latouch,    sailed 
from  Boston  harbour  on  a  cruise. 

A  number  of  very  valuable  prizes,  taken  by  the  American 
cruisers,  were  sent  into  different  ports. 

The  19th  exhibited  a  most  extraordinary  phenomenon1. 
The  wind,  in  the  morning,  was  southerly,  a  moderate 
breeze ;  the  sun  shone  a  little  after  it  was  up,  but  was  soon 
clouded:  there  was  some  thunder  and  moderate  showers. 
A  little  after  10  o'clock  the  clouds  exhibited  a  yellowish 
cast,  and  every  object  seemed  to  present  a  brassy  hue;  it 
soon  after  began  to  grow  dark,  which  gradually  increased  ; 
between  eleven  and  twelve  it  became  .necessary  to  light  can 
dles,  to  do  household  business.  The  darkness  increased 
until  near  one  o'clock,  P.  M.  the  inhabitants  dining  by 
candle-light.  About  one,  the  darkness  began  to  decrease, 
and  went  off  gradually,  as  it  came  on;  between  three  and 
four,  P.  M.  the  usual  light  was  restored.  The  evening, 
although  the  moon  was  at  the  full,  was  remarkably  dark, 
and  there  was  a  sprinkling  of  rain — the  people  were  in 
great  consternation.  This  phenomenon,  in  the  opinion  of 
our  General,  although  he  has  no  pretensions  to  astronomy, 
was  produced  by  opposite  winds  forcing  together  a  vast 
body  of  smoke  and  vapours,  (the  air  had  been  smoky  for 
some  days  before)  which,  from  the  state  of  the  atmosphere, 
as  they  accumulated,  ascended,  forming,  from  top  to  bot 
tom,  such  a  body,  as  to  cause  the  darkness ;  and  yet,  so  open 
were  the  particles,  as  to  admit  the  sun's  rays  so  far  as  to 
cause  tne  brassy  appearance:  had  the  atmosphere  been 
heavy,  the  vapours  would  probably  have  condensed,  and 
rain,  in  torrents,  would  have  ensued.  Some  observations 

1  This  was  the  celebrated  "  Dark  Day "  in  New  England,  during 
which  Abraham  Davenport  objected  to  the  Connecticut  Legislature's 
adjourning.  (See  Whittier's  poem). 


219 

made  by  our  General,  some  years  since  the  foregoing,  on 
the  darkness  in  Canada,  and  which,  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  preceding  day  he  noticed  at  Roxbury,  and  remarked 
thereon,  afford  strong  collateral  evidence  that  the  fore 
going  opinion  was  not  wholly  unfounded. 

As  the  learned  and  curious  wish  to  ascertain,  as  far  as 
possible,  the  true  cause  of  the  phenomenon,  we  throw  in 
those  rough  materials  which  our  observation  at  the  time 
collected,  that  they  may  be  shaped  by  those  of  greater  skill, 
for  the  information  and  satisfaction  of  an  enlightened  pub 
lic.  Those  called  the  dark  days  in  Canada,  were  the  9th, 
15th  and  10th  of  October,  1785 ;  but  the  greatest  degree  of 
darkness  was  on  Sunday,  the  16th,  when  the  darkness  was 
so  great  as  to  render  the  use  of  candles  necessary  in  the 
churches  and  families ;  it  is  said  to  have  been  as  dark  as  a 
dark  night. 

On  the  9th,  at  Roxbury,  in  Massachusetts,  the  wind  was 
at  south-east,  and  then  at  south-west;  the  day  fair,  cool 
and  pleasant. 

The  loth,  the  prevailing  wind  was  easterly;  the  day  was 
cloudy  and  foggy;  about  2  o'clock,  P.  M.  it  was  uncom 
monly  dark,  and  there  was  an  opposite  wind  from  the 
south-west.  There  were  several  hard  claps  of  thunder  at 
a  distance,  and  a  few  drops  of  rain.  Towards  evening  the 
sun  was  visible,  but  appeared  very  red,  and  the  clouds 
exhibited  a  brassy  complexion,  so  similar  to  the  dark  day 
in  May,  1780,  as  to  be  noticed  and  compared ;  in  the  even 
ing  the  wind  was  southerly. 

The  16th,  which  was  the  dark  day  in  Canada,  the  wind, 
there  at  opposite  points,  N.  E.  and  S.  W.  was  at  Koxbury 
S.  W.  The  day  was  fair,  warm  and  pleasant;  from  which 
it  seems  to  be  obvious,  that  the  body  of  smoke  and  vapour, 
with  which  the  atmosphere  was  fraught  on  the  15th,  whicii 
pervaded  a  region  which  comprehended  Canada  and  a  part 
of  New-England,  at  least,  was,  by  the  strength  of  the  south 
west  wind  in  the  night,  forced  northward,  and  being  still 
opposed  by  the  north-east  wind,  pressing  on  the  other  side, 


220 

produced  the  accumulation  of  smoke  and  vapour  which 
occasioned  the  darkness,  and  if  the  north-east  wind  had 
prevailed  against  the  south-west,  the  darkness  would  have 
probably  been  in  New-England. 

21st. — Capt.  Latouch  returned  from  his  cruise;  he  ran 
into  Penobscot  Bay,  and  cast  anchor,  firing  several  signal 
guns.  Two  British  sloops  of  war,  which  were  at  anchor, 
upon  the  approach  of  the  Hermione  came  to  sail,  and  ran 
up  the  river.  Capt.  Latouch  lay  at  anchor  until  he  took 
a  plan  of  the  enemy's  post.  Our  General  intended  to  have 
commenced  his  journey  for  the  army  on  Monday,  the  29th 
of  May ;  but  on  the  afternoon  of  the  preceding  day,  he  re 
ceived  a  letter  from  Gen.  Washington,  dated  the  15th,  in 
which  his  Excellency  observed,  "I  have  the  pleasure  to  in 
form  you,  in  strict  confidence,  that  we  have  authentic  ad 
vices  of  his  most  Christian  Majesty's  determination  to 
send  a  respectable  armament  of  sea  and  land  forces  to 
operate  on  the  continent,  and  that  the  period  is  not  remote 
when  we  may  expect  their  arrival."  The  Commander  in 
Chief  added  that  the  seizing  of  Halifax  was  an  object  with 
the  French;  and  our  General  was  instructed  to  obtain,  as 
soon  as  possible,  the  exact  state  of  the  British  in  that  quar 
ter,  as  to  their  works,  garrisons,  and  troops;  all  of  which 
was  shortly  after  ascertained. 

29th. — The  Hermione  fell  down,  in  order  to  proceed  on  a 
cruise  to  the  southward.  The  troops  at  West  Point  at  this 
time  were  very  short  of  provisions,  and  without  rum. 

Congress  and  the  Commander  in  Chief  called  upon  the 
several  States  to  complete  their  battalions  of  the  army  with 
all  possible  dispatch.  The  enemy  at  New  York  were  under 
great  apprehensions  of  a  visit  from  the  French,  and  were 
said  to  have  prepared  a  number  of  hulks  of  different  sizes 
to  sink  in  the  channel. 

June  6th. — News  was  received  that  a  French  fleet  had 
been  seen  at  sea,  in  latitude  33,  standing  E.  N.  E. 

About  this  time,  Capt.  Latouch  sent  into  Dartmouth  a 
prize  brig,  having  1700  firkins  of  butter,  150  boxes  of  can- 


dies,  and  150  boxes  of  soap  on  board.  The  Legislature  of 
Massachusetts  ordered  a  draft  to  be  made  from  the  militia 
to  complete  their  Continental  battalions.  The  drafts  were 
to  rendezvous  at  Springfield. 

9th. — Our  General  received  the  following  letter  from  the 
Commander  in  Chief: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  MORRISTOWN,  June  2,  1780. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

It  is  expected  that  the  fleet  of  our  ally  will,  in  the 
first  instance,  touch  at  Rhode  Island  for  the  purpose  of 
landing  their  sick  and  supernumerary  stores,  and  to  meet 
the  intelligence  necessary  to  direct  their  operations.  I 
have  already  sent  forward  Dr.  Craik,  to  take  up  proper 
houses  for  hospitals,  and  to  make  some  previous  arrange 
ments  in  that  department:  but  I  apprehend  the  French 
General  and  Admiral  will,  upon  their  arrival,  want  the 
advice  and  assistance  of  a  person  of  discretion  and  judg 
ment,  and  acquainted  with  the  country.  I  must  request 
you  to  repair  immediately  to  Providence,  and,  upon  their 
arrival,  present  yourself  to  them,  letting  them  know  that 
they  may  command  your  services. 

I  would  wish  you  to  endeavour,  in  conjunction  with 
the  Governor,  to  establish  a  market  between  the  fleet  and 
army  and  country,  and  be  careful  that  our  allies  are  not 
imposed  upon  in  the  prices  of  articles  which  they  may  find 
necessary.  This  is  a  point  recommended  in  the  plan 
drawn  up  by  the  Ministry  of  France,  and  which  policy  and 
generosity  directs  should  be  strictly  attended  to. 

(Signed)         G.  WASHINGTON. 
Gen.  HEATH." 

About  this  time  an  engagement  happened  between  the 
Hermione  and  a  British  man-of-war,  which  lasted  near  two 
glasses1 ;  it  was  a  drawn  battle.  Capt.  Latouch,  and  one 

1  An  hour.  This  engagement  was  in  March  (According  to 
Balch's  "Our  French  Allies").  The  British  ship  was  the  Iris-  The 
French  lost  90  killed  and  wounded  and  Latouche  himself  was  wounded 
in  the  left  arm. 


222 

of  his  Lieutenants,  were  wounded ;  and  it  was  said  13  men 
were  killed  and  39  wounded.  Several  of  the  wounded  died 
soon  after;  among  them,  an  officer. 

15th. — At  11  o'clock,  A.  M.  our  General  set  out  from  his 
house,  in  Koxbury,  for  Providence,  where  he  arrived  the 
next  day,  at  2  o'clock,  P.  M.,  was  met  at  Patucket  Bridge 
by  Deputy-Governor  Bowen,  and  a  number  of  other  gentle 
men,  who  attended  him  into  town. 

On  Friday,  the  2d  of  June,  the  Continental  frigate, 
Trumbull,  James  Nicholson  commander,  had  an  engage 
ment  with  a  British  frigate  of  36  guns,  which  lasted  five 
hours.  The  Trumbull  had  all  her  masts  wounded,  8  men 
killed,  and  31  wounded.  The  British  frigate  was  supposed 
to  have  suffered  much. 

In  this  month  a  body  of  the  enemy,  under  the  command 
of  Gen.  Knyphausen,  landed  in  the  Jersies,  and  moved 
towards  Springfield.  Some  skirmishing  ensued;  Coi. 
Angel's1  regiment  suffered  considerably.  A  number  of 
men  were  killed  on  both  sides.  It  was  now  fully-  confirmed 
that  the  enemy's  shipping  passed  Fort  Moultrie,  on  Sulli 
van's  Island,  in  South  Carolina,  on  the  9th  of  April,  with 
a  fresh  breeze,  by  which  means  they  received  but  little 
damage:  they  came  to  anchor  between  Fort  Johnson  and 
Charleston,  and  just  out  of  reach  of  the  latter.  Gen.  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  had  now  advanced  his  approaches  so  far 
as  to  be  erecting  his  batteries.  The  garrison  made  a  good 
defence,  but,  on  the  12th  of  May,  were  obliged  to  surrender. 
Of  the  Americans,  1  Colonel,  1  Aid-de-camp,  0  Captains,  Z 
Lieutenants,  10  Sergeants,  and  68  rank  and  file,  were 
killed;  1  Major,  2  Captains,  5  Lieutenants,  18  Sergeants, 
and  114  rank  and  file  were  wounded.  Maj.  Gen.  Lincoln, 
with  Brigadiers  Moultrie,  M'Intosh,  Woodford,  Scott,  Du- 
portail  and  Hogan,2  with  9  Colonels,  14  Lieut.  Colonels, 


1  James  Hogan  of  N.  C.    He  died  Jan.  4,  1781,  while  a  prisoner  at 
Charleston. 

2  Col.  Israel  Angell,  2nd  Rhode  Island.     (Died  May,  1832). 


223 

15  Majors,  84  Captains  and  Capt.  Lieutenants,  84  Lieuten 
ants,  32  Second  Lieutenants  and  Ensigns,  209  non-com 
missioned  officers,  140  drums  and  fifes,  and  1977  rank  and 
file,  including  sick  and  wounded,  of  the  Continental  troops, 
making  in  the  whole,  2564,  were  taken  prisoners.  Be 
sides  the  foregoing,  it  was  said  that  there  were  about  500 
naval  officers  and  seamen,  250  Charleston  militia,  and  500 
country  militia,  also  taken — the  enemy  pretended  many 
more.  About  20  American  soldiers  deserted  to  the  enemy 
during  the  siege.  Besides  the  artillery  and  stores  which  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  (the  former  being  220  pieces 
from  3  to  26  pounders)  the  Continental  frigates  Provi 
dence,  Boston,,  Ranger  and  Queen  of  France,  with  4  State 
gallies,  and  one  French  ship  of  war,  were  lost.  It  was 
supposed  that  about  500  American  men,  women  and  chil 
dren,  were  killed  during  the  siege.  The  enemy's  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  was  considerable.  The  enemy  broke 
ground  before  the  town  on  the  first  of  April  at  the  distance 
of  800  yards  from  the  American  works.  Before  the  sur 
render  of  the  place,  it  was  contemplated  in  Council  of  War, 
to  embark  the  garrison,  except  about  one  regiment,  on 
the  shipping,  in  the  night,  and  run  up  the  river,  and  land 
land  them ;  thereby  to  save  the  army,  leaving  those  in  the 
town  to  make  the  best  terms  they  could.  The  opinion  for 
some  time  prevailed,  but  it  was  afterwards  given  up. 

7th. — The  British  fleet  left  Charleston,  said  to  consist 
of  2  ships  of  the  line,  2  fifties,  2  forty-gun  ships,  6  or  7  frig 
ates,  and  between  80  and  90  transports ;  near  2000  negroes 
were  put  on  board  the  fleet.  Lord  Cornwallis,  with  about 
2000  men,  marched  from  Charleston  towards  North  Car 
olina.  A  few  days  after  the  surrender  of  Charleston  to 
the  British  troops,  the  grand  arsenal,  wherein  was  de 
posited  all  the  arms,  &c.  taken  from  the  Americans,  took 
fire  and  blew  up,  by  which  it  was  said  a  number  of  men 
were  killed  and  wounded.  The  loss  of  Charleston  roused 
the  country,  and  seemed  to  give  a  check  to  that  spirit  of 


224 

avarice  and  speculation  which  had  but  too  much  pre 
vailed  in  all  places,  and  a  determination,  by  every  exertion 
to  drive  the  enemy  from  the  country,  appeared  to  be  catch 
ing  from  breast  to  breast. 

At  Rhode  Island,  every  preparation  was  making  for  the 
reception  of  the  French  fleet  and  army.  The  handsome 
college  at  Providence  was  given  up  for  a  hospital.  The 
American  privateers  had  been  very  successful,  and  many 
valuable  prizes  were  sent  in. 

24th. — Monsieur  Corney,1  a  French  Commissary,  ar 
rived  at  Providence.  About  this  time  it  was  suspected 
that  the  enemy  at  New  York  had  some  intentions  of  an  at 
tempt  on  our  posts  in  the  Highlands;  and  some  of  their 
shipping  were  up  the  Hudson. 

On  the  morning  of  the  30th,  Capt.  Latouch,  in  the 
Hermione,  sailed  from  Newport  harbour.  The  same  day, 
the  British  frigate  Flora,  which  was  sunk  in  Newport 
harbour  nearly  two  years  before,  was  weighed;  she  had 
a  quantity  of  provisions  on  board. 

July  1st. — News  was  received  that  the  enemy  were  again 
in  motion  in  the  Jersies. 

2d. — News  was  received  of  the  sailing  of  the  French 
fleet,  which  left  France  on  the  2d  of  May.  It  was  said  in 
France,  that  if  the  fleet  fell  to  the  northward,  it  would 
visit  Halifax;  if  to  the  southward,  it  would  proceed  to 
Rhode  Island. 

A  great  uneasiness,  at  this  time,  prevailed  in  Ireland. 

4th. — The  anniversary  of  American  Independence  was 
celebrated  at  Providence,  by  a  discharge  of  13  cannon  from 
the  park.  Governor  Greene,  Monsieur  de  Corny,  and  a 
number  of  other  gentlemen,  dined  with  our  General. 

By  the  last  accounts  the  main  army  was  at  Ramapo,  in 
the  Jersies.  In  the  skirmish  which  happened  some  time 
before,  near  Springfield,  the  Americans  had  about  40 
killed  and  wounded. 

1  This  was  Louis  D.  E.  de  Corny. 


225 

llth. — At  one  o'clock,  A.  M.  our  General  received  ad 
vice  by  express,  that  the  fleet  of  our  illustrious  ally  was 
seen  off  Newport,  the  evening  before.  Before  sun-rise  an 
express  was  sent  forward  to  Gen.  Washington  with  the 
agreeable  tidings,  and  our  General  immediately  prepared 
to  proceed  to  Newport,  but  the  day  being  calm,  the  packet 
did  not  reach  the  town  until  12  o'clock  at  night.  Gen. 
Rochambeau  had  gone  on  shore  in  the  evening.  Early  the 
next  morning  our  General  went  on  shore,  and  waited  on 
the  Count;  from  which  moment  the  warmest  friendship 
commenced  between  our  General,  the  Count,  and  all  the 
French  officers.  After  breakfast,  our  General  went  on 
board  the  Due  de  Burgognc1  man-of-war,  to  pay  his  re 
spects  to  the  Chevalier  de  Ternay,  who  commanded  the 
squadron,  where  the  same  friendship  was  commenced.  The 
fleet  consisted  of  seven  sail  of  the  line,  viz.  the  Due  de 
Bourgogne,  of  80  guns;  Ic  Neptune,  le  Conquerant  of  74; 
le  Jason,  le  Seville,  V Ardent,  and  le  Provence  of  64;  and 
iheFantasque  of  64 ;  armed  enfute  with  40  guns  as  a  hospi 
tal  ship;  two  frigates  and  two  bombs,  with  a  number  of 
transports,  having  on  board  about  5000  troops,  besides  the 
marines,  the  soldiers  and  sailors,  something  sickly.  The 
joy  in  the  town  of  Newport  was  great.  At  11  o'clock,  A.  M. 
the  Admiral  saluted  the  town  with  13  cannon,  which  was 
returned  by  the  discharge  of  the  same  number.  In  the 
evening  the  town  was  beautifully  illuminated,  and  fire 
works  exhibited,  to  the  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction  of 
our  allies.  The  fleet,  on  its  passage  to  America,  fell  in  with 
five  British  ships  of  the  line,  who,  after  firing  a  few  broad 
sides,  bore  away. 

12th. — Our  General  dined  with  the  Count  de  Rocham 
beau. 

13th. — The  Chevalier  de  Ternay,  and  the  principal  offi 
cers  of  the  squadron,  came  on  shore. 

14th. — Count  de  Rochambeau,  and  the  General  Offi 
cers  of  the  French  army,  dined  with  our  General. 

15th. — A  number  of  the  Field-Officers  of  the  French  regi- 

1  Due  de  Bourgogne. 


226 

ments  dined  with  our  General  in  the  most  happy  frater 
nity. 

18th. — Pour  sail  of  ships  of  war,  two  of  them  supposed 
to  be  of  40  or  50  guns,  appeared  in  the  offing;  they  were 
supposed  to  be  British.  The  same  day  the  Chevalier  de 
Ternay,  and  the  principal  officers  of  the  fleet,  dined  with 
our  General.  In  the  afternoon  the  remains  of  the  officer 
who  was  some  time  before  wounded  on  board  the  Hermione 
and  died  of  those  wounds,  was  interred  with  military  hon 
ours. 

The  missing  transport  of  the  fleet,  with  troops  on  board, 
arrived  safe  in  Boston  harbour,  and  the  troops  marched  to 
Bhode  Island. 

19th. — Our  General  dined  with  the  Count. 

20th. — The  frigates  of  the  squadron  came  to  sail  in  the 
morning;  but  the  wind  being  ahead,  they  were  obliged  to 
come  to  anchor.  Intelligence  was  received  that  Admiral 
Graves,  with  five  or  six  sail  of  the  line,  arrived  at  Sandy 
Hook  on  the  13th. 

On  the  21st,  in  the  afternoon,  15  or  16  sail  of  British 
ships  of  war  appeared  in  the  offing ;  more  than  one  half  of 
them  were  supposed  to  be  ships  of  the  line.  At  sunset, 
they  appeared  to  be  coming  to  under  Block  Island.  The 
frigates,  which  attempted  to  get  out  in  the  morning,  re 
turned  at  evening. 

Apprehending  that  the  British  fleet  might  be  cruising 
off,  with  a  view  to  intercept  the  second  division  of  the 
French  fleet,  which  was  expected  soon  to  arrive,  our  Gen 
eral  sent  off  expresses  to  head-quarters,  Boston  and  Hart- 
ford,advising  of  the  British  fleet  being  off  Newport — that 
dispatch  boats  might  be  sent  out  to  apprise  the  French, 
and  point  them  to  another  port.  Several  works  and  bat 
teries  next  to  the  harbour,  were  mantled  with  cannon. 

22d. — The  British  fleet  were  cruising  off  all  the  day, 
and  rather  nearer  than  they  were  the  preceding  day. 
"Eighteen  or  nineteen  sail  were  counted,  eight  or  nine  of 
which  appeared  to  be  of  the  line.  The  French  squadron 


227 

kept  their  former  station  in  the  harbour,  and  in  the  most 
perfect  readiness  for  action.  The  army  was  in  the  same 
preparedness,  and  batteries  so  constructed  as  to  afford  a 
heavy  cross-fire  with  the  shipping,  in  the  entrance  of  the 
harbour.  All  vessels  and  boats  were  forbid  passing  out  of 
the  harbour  in  the  night. 

23. — The  British  were  cruising  off — early  in  the  morn 
ing  one  of  their  frigates  was  near  in.  Col.  Greene's1  regi 
ment  of  Continental  troops  took  post  at  Butt's  Hill,  Bris 
tol  and  Rowland's  Ferries.  Fifty  French  soldiers  from 
the  urmy  were  sent  on  board  each  of  the  ships  of  the  line. 
By  accounts  from  West  Point,  it  appeared  that  many  re 
cruits  had  joined  and  were  joining  the  American  army. 

24th. — The  British  fleet  continued  off  Newport.  In  the 
afternoon,  12  sail  were  at  anchor  to  the  east  of  Block  Is 
land  and  four  frigates  cruising  between  that  Island  and 
Point  Judith.  In  the  evening,  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette 
came  to  town,  from  head-quarters. 

25th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
intended  an  attempt  upon  the  French  army,  with  10,000 
men ;  upon  which  1500  of  the  militia  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
Brigadier  Godfrey's2  brigade  of  militia,  of  the  county  of 
Bristol,  in  Massachusetts,  were  called  in  to  Tiverton ;  and 
the  three  months'  men,  who  were  destined  to  the  main 
army,  such  of  them  as  belonged  to  the  counties  of  Suffolk, 
Essex,  Plymouth,  Worcester,  Barnstable  and  Bristol,  were 
ordered  to  march  to  Rhode  Island. 

26th. — A  confirmation  of  the  intention  of  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  against  Newport  was  received  from  the  neighbour 
hood  of  New  York.  In  consequence  of  which  the  whole 
militia  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  was  called  in.  Col. 
Tyler's3,  Col.  Perry's4,  and  Maj.  Bullard's5  militia  regi- 

1  Christopher   Greene,    1st   Rhode    Island.     He   was   killed   in   West- 
chester  County,  N.  Y.,  May  14,  1781. 

2  George    Godfrey    (1720-1793),    Brigadier    of    Massachusetts  militia. 

3  Col.  Nathan  Tyler. 

4  Col.  Abner  Perry. 

5  Probably  Moses  Bullard  of  Col.  Ebenezer  Thayer's  regiment. 


228 

ments,  in  addition  to  Brigadier  Godfrey's,  from  Massa 
chusetts.  Signals  were  fixed  as  far  as  Watch  Hill,  and 
everything  put  in  train  for  the  giving  instant  notice,  both 
by  day  and  night,  in  case  the  enemy  should  approach  to 
wards  the  place. 

27th.-  -The  wind  being  fresh  at  south-west,  and  the  air 
hazy,  the  privateer  ship  Washington,  Capt.  Munroe,  ran 
by  the  British  fleet,  and  passed  up  the  harbour.  The  stock 
on  Oonanicut  Island  was  ordered  to  be  taken  off.  How- 
land's  Ferry  was  to  be  well  secured  on  both  sides. 

30th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  the  enemy's  ship 
ping,  which  were  in  the  Swind,  and  supposed  to  have  taken 
in  troops  at  Whitestone,  had  come  to  sail,  and  stood  to  the 
westward;  on  which,  the  militia  who  were  coming  in,  ex 
cept  the  three  months'  men,  were  permitted  to  return 
home.  The  militia  had  discovered  great  zeal  and  alertness 
on  the  occasion.  About  noon,  the  British  ships  that  had 
been  at  anchor  off  Block  Island,  came  to  sail  and  stood  out 
to  sea. 

The  same  day  a  brig,  with  dispatches  from  France, 
passed  up  the  harbour ;  she  ran  on  one  of  the  wrecks,  and 
sunk  immediately. 

31st. — Our  General  received  letters  from  Gen.  Wash 
ington,  Gen.  Howe,  Gen.  Parsons,  and  Gov.  Trumbull,  in 
timating  that  the  enemy  intended  an  attack  on  Newport; 
that  about  150  sail  of  vessels  were  in  the  Sound ;  that  about 
8000  troops  were  to  be  employed  on  the  expedition ;  and 
that  Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  to  command  in  person ; 
that  26  heavy  cannon,  some  mortars,  &c.  were  put  on  board. 
In  consequence  of  this  intelligence,  the  militia  were  again 
called  in.  The  next  day  (August  1st.)  our  General  re 
ceived  the  following  letter  from  Gen.  Washington. 

ROBINSON^S  HOUSE,  July  31,  1780. 
"DEAR  SIR, 

I  arrived  here  last  night;  having  met  your  favours 
o/  the  25th  and  26th  at  Paramus,  where  the  army  then  lay. 
Immediately  upon  hearing  that  the  transports,  with  the 


229 

troops,  which  had  been  some  days  on  board,  had  sailed 
eastward,  I  put  the  army  in  motion  again ;  they  will  cross 
the  ferry  to-day,  and  will  be  joined  by  the  troops  from 
hence.  I  propose  moving  as  rapidly  as  possible  down  to 
wards  Kingsbridge,  which  will  either  oblige  the  enemy  to 
abandon  their  project  against  Rhode  Island,  or  may  afford 
us  an  opportunity  of  striking  them  to  advantage  in  this 
quarter,  if  Sir  Henry  Clinton  has  carried  with  him  the 
number  of  men  reported  (eight  thousand)  and  with  less 
than  which,  I  think,  he  would  scarcely  risk  an  attempt 
upon  Count  Rochambeau,  reinforced  by  the  militia. 

I  entirely  approve  of  the  measures  you  have  taken  for 
calling  in  aid,  and  have  the  strongest  hopes  that  if  Sir 
Henry  should  venture  upon  an  attack,  that  he  will  meet  a 
reception  very  different  from  what  he  expects.  You  know 
the  critical  situation  in  which  this  army  will  be  in  a  posi 
tion  below,  and  how  much  depends  upon  constant  intelli 
gence  of  the  motions  of  the  enemy.  I  shall  direct  relays  of 
expresses  the  whole  way,  between  this  army  and  you,  to 
convey  intelligence  in  the  most  expeditious  manner.  The 
nearest  express  to  you  will  be  upon  Tower  Hill ;  and  Gen. 
Greene  advises  that  you  should  keep  two  whale-boats,  to 
communicate  with  him,  by  South  Ferry,  so  long  as  that 
passage  shall  be  safe;  and  if  that  should  be  interrupted, 
by  BisselPs  Harbour.  (Signed)  Gm  WASHINGTON. 

«  p.  g. — i  wjsn  the  Count  de  Rochambeau  had  taken  a 
position  on  the  main.  G.  W." 

The  militia  came  in  with  great  spirit;  they  were  formed 
into  brigades,  and  every  disposition  made  for  instant 
and  vigorous  defence,  at  every  point  where  it  was  supposed 
an  attempt  might  be  made.  The  batteries  were  strength 
ened,  a  very  strong  one  erected  on  Rhode  Island,  and  re 
doubts  on  Coaster's  Island:  the  strong  works  on  Butt's 
Hill  pushed :  avenues  across  the  fields,  by  the  shortest 
routes,  were  opened,  from  the  encampment  of  the  French 
army  to  those  points  where  their  instant  presence  was 


230 

judged  necessary;  and  such  marks  fixed,  at  small  dis 
tances  from  each  other  as  to  prevent  any  mistake  in  the 
route,  either  by  day  or  night;  indeed,  no  one  precaution 
was  omitted,  or  probable  advantage  of  ground  or  situation 
neglected.  Had  Sir  Henry  made  the  attempt  which  he 
menaced,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  met  a  warm  recep 
tion  ;  but  for  some  reason  or  other  he  gave  up  his  design, 
and  the  militia  were  again  sent  home.  Perhaps  on  no  oc 
casion  did  the  militia  discover  more  ardour,  in  pressing  to 
the  field,  or  more  regularity  when  there,  than  at  that  time, 
which  was  everywhere  testified  by  the  inhabitants. 

Our  General  had  expressed  a  wish  to  the  Commander  in 
Chief  to  join  the  main  army,  that  he  might  enjoy  that  com 
mand,  to  which  he  was  at  that  time  entitled,  viz.  the  right 
wing;  to  which  Gen.  Washington,  in  a  letter  dated  August 
3d,  replied : 

"  As  to  your  coming  on  to  the  army  immediately,  I  shall 
leave  it  entirely  to  yourself  to  act  in  the  affair  as  you 
please.  Your  command  is,  and  will  always  be  ready  for 
you;  however,  if  you  find  your  presence  where  you  are 
necessary,  and  that  it  will  contribute  to  the  accommoda 
tion  of  our  allies,  and  to  the  cultivation  of  harmony,  (mat 
ters  about  which  I  am  very  anxious)  it  may  possibly  be 
more  eligible  for  you  to  remain  longer,  as  we  shall  not 
probably  have  any  instant  active  operations.  But,  as  I 
have  already  said,  do  in  the  matter  as  you  like,  and  as  cir 
cumstances  may  decide." 

And  in  a  subsequent  letter  some  days  after,  he  observed, 
"  As  to  your  wishes  to  join  the  army,  as  I  observed  before, 
your  aid  may  be  very  material  to  the  Count ;  and  as  we  have 
no  prospect  of  immediate  active  operations,  I  would  rather 
wish  you  to  remain  with  him  longer.  I  thought  it  essen 
tial  in  the  first  instance  that  there  should  be  an  officer  of 
rank  sent  to  him;  and  a  variety  of  reasons  concurred  to 
induce  me  to  believe  that  you  would  answer  the  important 
objects  I  had  in  view,  as  well  at  least  as  any  I  could  choose. 
I  have  not  been  disappointed  in  the  least  in  my  expecta- 


231 

tion,  and  the  Count  himself  judges  your  continuing  very 
essential,  and  expressed  himself  in  the  following  manner 
upon  the  subject  several  days  ago :  <  I  shall  keep  with  me 
if  you  think  proper,  Gen.  Heath,  whose  ardour,  spirit  and 
activity  are  absolutely  necessary  to  me.'  For  these  sev 
eral  considerations,  I  wish  you  to  reconcile  yourself  to  re 
maining  with  him  awhile,  which  will  be  more  easy  when 
you  consider  that  you  will  be  fully  advertised  whenever  we 
are  in  a  situation  to  attempt  any  thing  offensive  on  a  great 
scale,  and  will  have  your  command." 

The  British  ship-of-war,  Galatea,  appeared  off  Dart 
mouth.  The  British  fleet  went  to  Gardiner's  Bay,  except 
ing  the  frigates,  which  cruised  off.  The  troops  continued 
fortifying  the  island. 

15th. — About  this  time  the  British  fleet  sailed  *rom  Gar 
diner's  Bay  to  the  eastward.  About  this  time,  Maj.  Gen. 
Greene  resigned  the  Quarter-Master  Generalship,  and  Col. 
Pickering  was  appointed  to  that  office. 

19th. — In  the  afternoon  the  British  again  appeared 
off  the  harbour  of  Newport.  A  few  days  before,  the  Con 
tinental  frigate  Alliance  arrived  at  Boston,  in  five  weeks 
and  four  days  from  France,  and  brought  news  that  there 
had  been  a  great  mob  in  England,  headed  by  Lord  George 
Gordon,  and  that  the  prisons,  &c.  had  been  pulled  down. 

23d. — The  privateer  ship  Washington,  Capt.  Talbot,1  of 
20  guns,  came  down  the  river,  saluted  the  Commodore,  and 
came  to  anchor. 

24th. — The  French  army,  joined  by  the  Americans,  fired 
salutes  on  account  of  its  being  St.  Louis'  day.  The  fleet 
fired  on  the  next  day. 

The  enemy  were  preparing  for  an  embarkation  of  troops 
at  New  York;  their  destination  unknown. 

The  evening  of  the  20th,  three  or  four  of  the  enemy's 
cruisers  were  off  the  harbour. 

26th. — The  British  fleet,  to  the  number  of  more  than  20 
sail,  were  in  the  Vineyard  Sound. 

1  Silas   Talbot,   afterwards   Commodore. 


232 

29th. — A  number  of  Indians  from  the  northwestern 
tribes  came  to  Newport  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  Gen 
eral  of  the  army  of  their  father  the  King  of  France.  They 
had  a  hearty  welcome,  a  treat,  and  presents,  and  were 
much  pleased.  They  were  also  invited  by  our  General  to 
a  sumptuous  treat.  After  dinner  they  performed  their 
war  dance  fclfore  the  officers  of  the  armies,  to  the  great 
satisfaction  of  those  of  the  French,  who  had  not  seen  the 
like  before.  The  next  day  the  French  troops  were  under 
arms,  manoeuvred,  and  fired,  in  presence  of  the  Indians, 
who  were  much  pleased. 

31st. — Information  was  received  that  Admiral  Arbuth- 
not  was  near  the  Vineyard  with  nine  sail  of  the  line,  eight 
other  ships  of  war  of  different  force,  and  two  tenders ;  that 
he  had  made  a  demand  of  11,000  Ib.  of  beef  and  mutton,  to 
be  delivered  every  other  day,  at  five  pence  per  Ib.  The  in 
habitants  remonstrating  against  furnishing  so  large  a 
quantity,  the  Admiral  assured  them  that  in  case  they  vol 
untarily  delivered  as  much  as  their  ability  would  allow,  he 
would  dispense  with  what  might  be  wanting. 

The  enemy  continued  their  preparations  for  some  grand 
enterprise,  which  could  not  be  developed. 

September  10th. — The  British  fleet  were  returned  again 
to  Gardiner's  Bay,  and  their  old  station  between  Long  Is 
land  and  Block  Island. 

llth. — Intelligence  was  received  that  on  the  16th  ult. 
Major-General  Gates  was  totally  defeated  by  the  British, 
at  or  near  Camden,  in  South  Carolina.  The  Maryland 
line  suffered  greatly,  and  Maj.  Gen.  Baron  de  Kalb  was 
wounded,  of  which  wounds  he  died. 

14th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Brig.  Gen.  Poor, 
of  New  Hampshire,  died  at  camp  on  the  8th,  of  a  putrid 
fever;  and  that  Brig.  Gen.  Nixon  had  resigned  his  com 
mission.  Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  holding  a  body  of 
troops,  said  to  be  about  6000,  in  readiness  to  embark  at 
New  York,  said  to  be  destined  to  the  southward.  The  17th, 
in  the  morning,  the  Continental  regiment  commanded  by 


Colonel  Greene,  crossed  over  from  the  island  to  Greenwich, 
from  whence  they  were  to  march  to  the  main  army. 

21st. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Admiral  Rodney 
arrived  at  Sandy  Hook  on  the  13th,  with  ten  sail  of  the 
line,  and  two  frigates — that  on  the  15th,  Commodore 
Drake,  with  four  sail  of  the  line,  was  detached  from  the 
Hook  to  join  Admiral  Arbuthnot  near  Gardiner's  Island, 
and  that  these  four  ships  joined  on  the  18th.  This  junc 
tion  was  intended  to  intercept  12  sail  of  the  French  men-of- 
war,  which  were  to  be  expected  to  be  coming  from  the 
West  Indies  to  Rhode  Island— that  the  76th  and  80th 
British  regiments,  one  Hessian  regiment,  the  Queen's 
Rangers,  Fanning's  corps,  a  part  of  the  horse,  and  all  the 
British  grenadiers  and  light  infantry,  were  ordered  to  em 
bark  immediately  at  New  York — it  was  conjectured  for 
Virginia.  The  disposition  of  the  British  troops  at  that 
time  was  said  to  be  as  follows:  the  22d,  76th  British,  3 
Hessian  regiments,  Robinson's  corps,  and  some  artillery  in 
the  city — Highland  emigrants,  at  Brooklyn — a  few  in 
valids  at  Newtown — one  regiment  of  Hessians  at  Jamaica 
— the  37th,  38th  and  43d  British,  one  Hessian  regiment, 
one  Jager,  one  grenadier,  and  one  light  infantry  from  Ja 
maica  to  Flushing — about  three  regiments  at  Whitestone 
—Queen's  Rangers,  Oyster  Bay — Fanning's  regiment,  the 
3d  regiment  of  Delancey's,  and  the  Jersey  volunteers, 
Lloyd's  Neck — Col.  Abercrombie,  with  about  600  infantry, 
at  Huntington — the  17th  dragoons  at  Smithtown — about 
1500  men  from  Haarlem  to  Kingsbridge.  At  this  time,  the 
Count  de  Rochambeau  and  Admiral  de  Ternay  had  an  in 
terview  with  Gen.  Washington  at  Hartford. 

22d. — Col.  Greene's  regiment  was  ordered  to  return 
from  Greenwich  to  the  island.  The  French  army  continued 
very  busy  in  fortifying  Rhode  Island :  some  of  their  works 
were  exceedingly  strong,  and  mounted  with  heavy  metal. 

24th. — In  the  evening,  Gen.  Rochambeau  and  the  Ad 
miral  returned  to  Rhode  Island. 

30th. — A  French  frigate  arrived  at  Newport   from   the 


234 

West  Indies,  but  brought  no  news  of  consequence.  The 
Count  de  Guichen,  instead  of  coming  this  way  with  the 
fleet  from  the  West  Indies,  was  going  or  gone  for  Europe, 
While  Washington  was  in  interview  with  General 
Rochambeau  at  Hartford,  Maj.  Gen.  Arnold,  who  had  the 
immediate  command  of  West-Point,  was  playing  a  most 
traitorous  game  with  the  British,  for  the  delivery  of  that 
important  post  into  their  hands — which  was  communi 
cated  to  our  General  by  the  Commander  in  Chief,  in  the 
following  letter : 

KOBINSON'S  HOUSE,  Sept.  26,  1780. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

In  the  present  situation  of  things,  I  think  it  necessary 
that  you  should  join  the  army;  and  request  that  you  will 
do  it.  You  will  come  to  head-quarters  yourself.  The  route 
through  Litchfield  will  be  the  most  eligible  for  you,  on  ac 
count  of  security;  and  you  may  direct  your  baggage  to 
halt  at  Fish-Kill,  for  your  further  orders.  I  write  to  the 
Count  de  Ilochambeau  by  this  conveyance;  and  I  trust 
that  your  coming  away  now,  will  not  be  attended  with  any 
material  inconvenience  to  him. 

I  cannot  conclude  without  informing  you  of  an  event 
which  has  happened  here,  which  will  strike  you  with  as 
tonishment  and  indignation : — Maj.  Gen.  Arnold  has  gone 
to  the  enemy.  He  had  had  an  interview  with  Major  Andre', 
Adjutant-General  of  the  British  army,  and  had  put  into 
his  possession  a  state  of  the  army  of  the  garrison  of  this 
post,  of  the  number  of  men  considered  as  necessary  for  the 
defence  of  it;  a  return  of  the  ordnance,  and  the  disposition 
of  the  artillery  corps,  in  case  of  an  alarm.  By  a  most 
providential  interposition,  Major  Andre  was  taken  in  re 
turning  to  New  York,  with  all  these  papers  in  Gen.  Ar 
nold's  hand- writing ;  who,  hearing  of  the  matter,  kept  it  to 
himself,  left  his  quarters  immediately,  under  pretext  of 
going  over  to  West  Point,  on  Monday  forenoon,  about  an 
hour  before  my  arrival ;  then  pushed  down  the  river  in 


235 

the  barge,  which  was  not  discovered  till  I  had  returned 
from  West  Point  in  the  afternoon,  and  when  I  received 
the  first  information  of  Mr.  Andrews  capture.  Measures 
were  instantly  taken  to  apprehend  him;  but,  before  the 
officers  sent  for  the  purpose  could  reach  Verplank's  Point 
he  had  passed  it  with  a  flag,  and  got  on  board  the  Vulture 
ship  of  war,  which  lay  a  few  miles  below.  He  knew  of  my 
approach,  and  that  I  was  visiting,  with  the  Marquis,  the 
north  and  middle  redoubts;  and  from  this  circumstance 
was  so  straightened  in  point  of  time,  that  I  believe  he 
carried  with  him  but  very  few,  if  any,  material  papers; 
though  he  has  very  precise  knowledge  of  the  affairs  of  the 
post.  The  gentlemen  of  Gen.  Arnold's  family,  I  have  the 
greatest  reason  to  believe,  were  not  privy  in  the  least 
degree  to  the  measure  he  was  carrying  on,  or  to  his  escape. 

(Signed)          G.  WASHINGTON." 

Gen.  Arnold's  panic  was  so  great  when  he  found  that  the 
plot  was  discovered,  that  he  called  out  for  a  horse,  any 
horse  that  first  came  to  hand,  if  it  were  a  wagon-horse; 
upon  the  horse's  being  brought,  the  General  mounted, 
and,  instead  of  passing  to  the  landing  by  the  usual  path, 
he  rode  down  a  steep  bank,  where  it  seemed  impossible 
for  a  horse  with  a  rider  to  get  down,  without  being  un 
horsed. 

When  Arnold  had  passed  Verplank's  Point,  and  had 
got  under  the  guns  of  the  Vulture,  he  told  Corporal  Lar- 
vey,  who  was  coxswain  of  the  barge,  that  he  was  going 
on  board  the  ship,  and  that  he  should  not  return;  that  if 
he  (Larvey)  would  stay  with  him,  he  should  have  a  com 
mission  in  the  British  service.  To  this,  Larvey,  who  was 

a  smart  fellow,  replied,  that  he  would  be  d d  if  he 

fought  on  both  sides;  the  General  replied,  that  he  would 
send  him  on  shore.  Arnold  then  told  the  barge  crew,  that 
if  any  or  all  of  them  Avould  stay  with  him,  they  should  be 
treated  well ;  but  if  they  declined  staying,  they  should  be 
sent  on  shore.  One  or  two  staid,  the  rest,  with  the  cox- 


236 


swain,  were  sent  on  shore  in  the  ship's  boat;  the  barge 
was  kept.  Larvey,  for  his  fidelity,  was  made  a  Sergeant. 
He  thought  he  had  merited  more;  that  he  ought  to  have 
had  as  much  as  Arnold  promised  him.  He  continued  un 
easy,  until  at  his  repeated  request  he  was  allowed  to  leave 
the  army. 

Maj.  Andr£,  on  his  return  towards  New  York,  fell  in 
with  three  young  men  below  the  lines,  John  Paulding, 
David  Williams,  and  Isaac  Van  Wert;  they  did  not  at 
first  know  that  Andr£  was  a  British  officer^  and  he  was  at 
a  loss  whether  they  were  British,  refugees,  or  staunch 
Americans.  There  was  consequently  a  little  finesse  ex 
hibited  on  both  sides ;  but  at  length  it  was  fully  discovered 
who  Andre^  was.  He  then  attempted  to  bribe  the  young 
men,  by  offering  them  a  large  sum  of  money;  but  their 
fidelity  was  too  great  to  be  purchased.  They  brought  him 
up,  and  delivered  him  to  the  Americans,  where  he  was 
tried,  sentenced,  and  hanged  as  a  spy.  The  British  Gen 
eral  on  the  river  endeavoured  to  save  his  life,  first  by 
threats,  and  then  by  persuasions;  but  all  was  in  vain. 
Maj.  Andrews  behaviour,  until  the  time  of  his  execution, 
was  becoming  an  officer  and  a  gentleman;  and  such,  in 
his  last  moments,  as  drew  tears  from  many  eyes.  But  it 
must  be  remembered  that  he  who  consents  to  become  a 
spy,  when  he  sets  out,  has  by  allusion  a  halter  put  round 
his  neck,  and  that  by  the  usage  of  armies,  if  he  be  taken, 
the  other  end  of  the  halter  is  speedily  made  fast  to  a  gal 
lows. 

Congress,  pleased  with  the  conduct  of  John  Paulding, 
David  Williams,  and  Isaac  Van  Wart,  passed  a  resolu 
tion  on  the  4th  of  October,  directing  that  200  dollars,  in 
specie,  should  be  annually  paid  them  during  life ;  and  that 
a  silver  medal,  descriptive  of  their  fidelity,  with  the 
thanks  of  Congress,  should  be  presented  to  each  of  them. 

The  situation  of  the  British  army  and  other  circum- 
stancs  at  the  moment  Andr£  was  detected,  were  such  as 
render  it  highly  probable  that  if  he  had  not  been  taken, 


237 

the  most  serious  consequences  to  the    American    cause 
would  very  soon  have  taken  place. 

October  1st. — The  next  day  after  our  General  received 
the  letter  from  Gen.  Washington,  he  took  a  most  affec 
tionate  leave  of  the  French  officers,  and  left  Newport,  to 
prepare  to  go  on  to  the  army.  His  wagon-horses  were 
out  in  the  country  at  a  distance;  these  were  to  be 
brought  in,  shod,  &c.  and  other  preparations  to  be  made, 
which  prevented  his  leaving  Providence  until  the  after 
noon  of  the  9th,  when  he  was  attended  out  of  town  by  a 
number  of  officers  and  other  gentlemen.  Before  he  left 
Providence,  he  bid  Count  Rochanabeau  another  farewell, 
by  letter,  to  which  an  answer  was  forwarded  on  after 
him,  as  follows: 

NEWPORT,  Oct.  12,  1780 
"  MY  DEAR  GENERAL, 

1  have  received  the  letter  that  you  have  honoured  me 
with  from  Providence.  I  am  extremely  sensible  of  the 
marks  of  friendship  that  you  give  me,  and  likewise  very 
grateful  for  all  that  your  good  heart  has  dictated  to  you 
upon  the  occasion  of  our  present  separation.  I  regret 
vastly  your  absence,  my  dear  General,  as  well  as  all  the 
army;  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  zeal,  the  activity,  and 
the  intelligence  with  which  you  helped  us  in  all  our 
operations;  and  the  French  army  will  always  be  most 
grateful  for  it.  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  with  the  most  in 
violable  attachment,  my  dear  General,  your  most  obed 
ient  and  humble  servant, 

(Signed)     LE  COUNT  DE  KOCHAMBEAU." 

16th. — Our  General  reached  West  Point,  where  he  onet 
the  following  letter  from  Gen.  Washington : 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  NEAR  PASSAIC  FALLS,  Oct.  14,  1780, 
"  DEAR  SIR, 
In  my  letter  of  the  2Cth  ult.  by  which  I  requested  you 


238 

to  join  the  army,  I  desired  that  you  would  come  yourself 
to  head-quarters:  I  am  now  to  request  that  you  will  pro 
ceed  to  West  Point,  and  take  upon  you  the  command  of 
that  post  and  its  dependencies.  Maj.  Gen.  Greene,  who  is 
at  present  there,  will  either  communicate  to  you  himself, 
or  leave  with  Gen.  M'Dougal  to  be  transferred,  the  in 
structions  he  received  respecting  the  post;  to  which  you 
will  be  pleased  to  attend.  If  this  should  not  find  you  at 
West  Point,  it  is  my  wish  that  you  should  arrive  there  as 
soon  as  circumstances  will  possibly  admit;  and  I  hope 
there  will  be  nothing  to  delay  it. 

(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON." 

Our  General  had  scarcely  entered  on  the  command,  be 
fore  he  received  intelligence  that  the  enemy  were  making 
an  incursion  upon  the  northern  frontier  of  New  York; 
upon  which  he  immediately,  without  consulting  the  Com 
mander  in  Chief,  ordered  Col.  Gansevoort's  regiment  to 
their  relief,  and  communicated  what  he  had  done  to  head 
quarters;  to  which  he  received  the  following  answer: 

HEADQUARTERS,  PREAKNESS,  16th  Oct.,  1780. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

I  am  favoured  with  yours  of  yesterday,  accompanied 
by  a  letter  from  his  Excellency  Governor  Clinton,  who 
gives  me  an  account  of  the  incursion  upon  the  frontiers. 
I  am  happy  that  you  detached  Gansevoort's  regiment 
immediately;  you  will  be  pleased  to  order  either  Weisen- 
f eld's  or  Willet's,  as  you  may  judge  proper,  to  follow,  and 
take  orders  from  the  Governor  or  the  commanding  officer. 
This  is  all  the  force  I  think  we  ought  to  detach  from  the 
posts,  until  the  views  of  the  enemy  are  more  fully  ascer 
tained.  They  put  off  the  long-expected  embarkation 
strangely.  They  had  not  sailed  the  13th,  and  it  was  then 
said  the  expedition  was  delayed  for  some  purpose.  The 
number  under  orders,  by  estimate,  are  about  2000,  or 
something  upwards.  If  the  militia  should  not  have  been 


239 

discharged,  when  this  reaches  you,  you  will  be  pleased  to 
detain  about  500,  to  make  up  for  the  detachment  you  have 
sent  up  the  river.  I  have  received  yours  of  the  13th,  as  I 
have  done  that  inclosing  the  estimates,  for  which  I  am 
much  obliged.  You  will  be  pleased  to  carry  into  execu 
tion  what  you  proposed,  respecting  the  posts  at  Stony 
and  Verplank's  Point. 

(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON." 

This  was  followed  by  another,  dated  the  18th,  in  which 
the  Commander  in  Chief  observed,  "  I  am  glad  to  find,  by 
your  letter  of  the  17th,  that  you  were  arrived  at  West 
Point,  and  had  taken  the  command  of  that  important 
post."  This  was  occasioned  by  our  General's  having  been 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  a  day  or  two,  until  the  quar 
ters  on  the  point  were  quitted  by  Maj.  Gen.  Greene,  who 
was  ordered  to  the  southward. 

On  the  17th,  intelligence  was  received,  that  the  enemy 
had  advanced  to  Fort  George  and  Fort  Ann,  both  of  which 
had  fallen  into  their  hands;  that  after  destroying  the 
works,  and  burning  about  thirty  houses,  and  as  many 
barns,  they  had  gone  back;  but  it  was  apprehended  that 
they  would  advance  again. 

19th. — Maj.  Gen.  Greene  left  West  Point.  The  same 
day  intelligence  was  received,  that  on  the  16th  the  long 
talked-of  embarkation  of  troops  sailed  from  New  York, 
supposed  to  be  destined  to  the  southward.  The  Ameri 
can  troops  at  this  time  drove  up  the  fat  cattle  which  were 
near  the  lines,  in  consequence  of  a  warrant  from  Gov. 
Clinton. 

21st. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  enemy  were 
meditating  an  excursion  as  far  up  as  Crompond  and  its 
vicinity,  to  sweep  off  all  the  cattle.  Our  General  immed 
iately  ordered  Col.  Hazen,  with  a  detachment  of  500  men, 
to  move  to  Pine's  Bridge,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Jameson1,  with 

1  Lieut.-Col.  John  Jameson  of  Virginia — the  same  whose  unfortunate 
blunder  allowed  Arnold  to  escape. 


240 

the  2d  light  dragoons,  to  move  from  Bedford  towards  Col. 
Hazen.  The  detachment  arrived  at  Pine's  Bridge  about 
10  o'clock  the  same  evening,  and  Col.  Jameson  with  the 
dragoons  at  about  2  o'clock  the  next  morning.  The  even 
ing  of  the  23d,  Col.  Hazen  returned  with  the  detachment; 
the  enemy  did  not  come  out. 

About  this  time  the  enemy  received  a  small  reinforce 
ment  at  New  York,  from  England,  said  to  be  1500  or  2000. 
Two  or  three  very  valuable  prizes,  laden  with  rum,  sugar, 
&c.  were  sent  to  Philadelphia,  and  news  was  received  that 
upwards  of  50  sail  of  British  East  and  West  Indiamen, 
outward  bound,  were  taken  by  the  combined  fleets  of 
Prance  and  Spain,  near  Cape  Finisterre. 

24th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  enemy  had  laid 
waste  a  great  part  of  the  fertile  country  above  Saratoga, 
and  to  the  westward  of  Schenectady.  The  same  night,  20 
prisoners  made  their  escape  from  the  provost  at  Fish-Kill, 
by  digging  upwards  of  20  feet  under  ground ;  parties  were 
sent  out  after  them  in  different  directions,  and  some  of 
them  were  retaken. 

26th. — News  was  received  that  the  militia,  under  Gen. 
Van  Kensselaer,  obtained  a  considerable  advantage  over 
the  enemy  at  the  northward,  on  the  19th  inst,  at  the  Fox 
Mills.  The  action  lasted  for  some  hours;  the  enemy  left 
their  baggage,  prisoners,  &c.  Col.  Brown1  was  killed 
in  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  on  the  morning  of  the  same 
day. 

28th. — Official  intelligence  was  received  of  a  signal  ad 
vantage  gained  by  the  Americans  in  North  Carolina  over 
a  corps  of  fourteen  hundred  men,  British  troops,  and  new 
levies,  commanded  by  Col.  Ferguson.  The  militia  of  the 
neighboring  country  under  Colonels  Williams  and  Shelby 
and  others  having  assembled  to  the  number  of  3000,  de 
tached  1600  men  on  horseback,  to  fall  in  with  Ferguson's 
party  on  its  inarch  to  Charlotte — they  came  up  with  them 

1  Lieut.-Col.  John  Brown  of  Massachusetts.  The  fight  was  at  Stone 
Arabia,  N.  Y. 


241 

at  a  place  called  King's  Mountain,  advantageously  posted 
and  gave  them  a  total  defeat,  in  which  Col.  Ferguson, 
with  150  of  his  men  were  killed,  800  made  prisoners,  and 
1500  stands  of  arms  taken,  with  but  inconsiderable  loss, 
except,  and  greatly  to  be  regretted,  the  brave  Col.  Wil 
liams,  who  was  supposed  to  be  mortally  wounded.  A  sec 
ond  account  stated  the  enemy's  whole  loss  in  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners,  at  1105;  and  that  of  the  Ameri 
cans  in  killed  and  wounded,  64. 

29th. — Brig.  Gen.  James  Clinton  was  ordered  to  Albany 
to  take  the  command  in  that  quarter. 

30th. — Capt.  Johnson,  with  a  detachment  consisting  of 
100  men,  marched  to  do  duty  on  the  lines  for  the  protec 
tion  of  the  inhabitants  against  the  enemy,  and  the  cow 
boys,  (so  called)  a  set  of  plundering  thieves. 

31st. — A  ridiculous  proclamation  of  the  traitor  Arnold 
made  its  appearance;  he  styled  himself  a  Brigadier-Gen 
eral,  and  invited  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  American 
army  to  join  him,  promising  ample  encouragement,  &c. 
but  it  had  no  effect. 

November  1st. — A  severe  storm  of  snow  and  rain.  The 
brave  soldiers  who  were  but  illy  clad,  and  destitute  of 
blankets,  Avere  in  a  shivering  condition. 

The  devastation  committed  by  the  enemy  at  the  north 
ward,  was  found  to  be  very  great;  at  least  200  dwellings 
and  150,000  bushels  of  wheat,  with  a  proportion  of  other 
grain  and  forage,  were  supposed  to  have  been  destroyed; 
had  not  the  pursuit  after  the  enemy  been  very  rapid,  the 
devastations  would  have  been  much  greater. 

The  American  army  were  at  this  time  experiencing  a 
great  want  of  flour,  which  they  bore  with  their  usual  pa 
tience. 

4th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  Maj.  Carleton, 
after  being  reinforced  with  500  men,  was  returning  to 
wards  Skeensborough1 ;  it  was  supposed  that  his  force  had 

1  Skenesborough,   now  Whitehall. 


242 

increased  to  about  1600,  and  further  depredations  on  the 
frontiers  were  expected.  The  militia  of  the  upper  counties 
were  again  ordered  out  by  Gov.  Clinton. 

The  same  day,  the  new  arrangement  of  the  army  was 
published.  The  encouragement  to  both  officers  and  sol 
diers  was  generous. 

5th. — The  troops  were  again  without  bread.  Intelli 
gence  was  received  that  the  enemy  had  landed  a  body  of 
troops  at  Portsmouth,  in  Virginia,  and  that  another  em 
barkation  was  talked  of  at  New  York. 

Gth. — News  was  received  from  Boston,  that  his  Excel 
lency  John  Hancock  had  been  chosen  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts — the  first  Governor  under  the 
new  constitution.  The  same  day  intelligence  was  received 
from  the  northward,  that  the  enemy  had  crossed  Lake 
George  the  Thursday  before,  and  advanced  to  Fort  Ed 
ward,  the  small  garrison  of  which  abandoned  the  fort  on 
the  approach  of  the  enemy,  whose  numbers  were  said  to 
be  about  800.  The  militia  were  out,  and  the  1st  and  5th 
New  York  regiments  were  ordered  to  embark  and  sail  for 
Albany  immediately.  They  sailed  early  on  the  morning 
of  the  9th.  On  the  same  day  intelligence  was  received  tfiat 
the  enemy  had  lately  made  an  excursion  to  the  upper  parts 
of  Connecticut  river,  and  destroyed  a  number  of  houses 
at  Royalton.  The  militia  turned  out  with  spirit,  repulsed 
and  pursued  them ;  the  enemy  made  off  with  precipitation, 
leaving  their  plunder,  &c.  behind  them.  Upwards  of  2000 
militia  were  assembled  in  that  quarter. 

The  2d  regiment  of  dragoons  moved  from  Bedford  to 
North  Castle. 

The  enemy  published  several  letters  in  the  New  York 
papers,  which  were  taken  from  the  Fish-Kill  post-rider 
not  long  before  at  Stratford;  in  particular,  one  from  the 
general  officers  belonging  to  the  New  England  States  to 
their  several  Legislatures. 

A  partial  but  not  general  exchange  of  prisoners  took 
place  about  this  time.  Maj.  Gen.  Lincoln  was  exchanged 


243 

for  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips;  General  Thompson,  and  a  number 
of  American  officers,  who  had  long  been  prisoners,  were 
also  exchanged. 

14th. — The  great  chain,  which  was  laid  across  the  Hud 
son  at  West  Point,  was  taken  up  for  the  winter;  it  was 
done  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Govion1,  Capt.  Buch 
anan2,  and  Capt.  Nevers,  with  a  strong  detachment  of  the 
garrison,  and  with  skill  and  dexterity.  This  chain  was  as 
long  as  the  width  of  the  river  between  West  Point  and 
Constitution  Island,  where  it  was  fixed  to  great  blocks  on 
each  side,  and  under  the  fire  of  batteries  on  both  sides  of 
the  river.  The  links  of  this  chain  were  probably  12  inches 
wide,  and  18  inches  long;  the  iron  about  2  inches  square. 
This  heavy  chain  was  buoyed  up  by  very  large  logs  of  per 
haps  16  or  more  feet  long,  a  little  pointed  at  the  ends,  to 
lessen  their  opposition  to  the  force  of  the  water  on  flood 
and  ebb.  The  logs  were  placed  at  short  distances  from 
each  other,  the  chain  carried  over  them,  and  made  fast  to 
each  by  staples,  to  prevent  their  shifting;  and  there  were 
a  number  of  anchors  dropped  at  distances,  with  cables 
made  fast  to  the  chain,  to  give  it  a  greater  stability.  The 
short  bend  of  the  river  at  this  place  was  much  in  favour 
of  the  chain's  proving  effectual ;  for  a  vessel,  coming  up 
the  river  with  the  fairest  wind  and  strongest  way,  must 
lose  them  on  changing  her  course  to  turn  the  point;  and 
before  she  could  get  under  any  considerable  way  again, 
even  if  the  wind  was  fair,  she  would  be  on  the  chain,  and 
at  the  same  time  under  a  heavy  shower  of  shot  and  shells. 

15th. — The  1st  and  5th  New  York  regiments  returned 
from  Albany,  the  enemy  having  returned  to  Canada,  ex 
cept  about  400  men,  chiefly  British,  who  were  encamped 
about  10  miles  below  Crown  Point.  Provisions  were  ex 
tremely  scarce  at  Albany. 

The  night  of  the  16th,  a  number  of  the  boats  were  stove 
by  the  violence  of  the  wind  and  storm. 

Uean  Baptists  Gouvion,  Rochambeau's  chief  of  artillery. 

2  Capt.  Thomas  Buchanan    1st  Pennsylvania.    (Died  Oct.   13,  1803). 


244 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th,  five  large  flat-bottomed 
boats,  under  the  charge  of  a  Subaltern  and  25  picked 
watermen,  were  sent  down  the  river  to  the  slote  above 
Dobbs'  Ferry,  where  they  were  to  be  placed  on  carriages, 
and  transported  to  a  certain  place,  for  an  enterprise 
which  was  meditating  against  the  enemy. 

19th. — Five  companies,  of  50  men  each,  marched  from 
West  Point,  for  the  purpose  of  impressing  teams  in  the 
upper  part  of  Westchester,  and  lower  parts  of  Dutchess 
Counties,  preparatory  to  the  grand  forage. 

The  same  day,  the  invalids  of  the  Massachusetts  and 
Connecticut  lines,  and  a  detachment  of  able-bodied  men, 
the  whole  about  1000,  arrived  at  West  Point  from  the 
main  army. 

20th. — Three  light  field-pieces,  with  four  ammunition 
tumbrels  with  ammunition  for  the  artillery,  and  musket- 
cartridges,  and  also  a  quantity  of  hard  bread,  rum,  &c. 
was  sent  down  to  Peek's-Kill,  for  the  use  of  the  grand 
foragers. 

21st. — The  troops  destined  for  the  grand  forage  paraded 
between  Nelson's  Point  and  the  church.  Just  before  they 
marched,  Chevalier  Chastellux,  Major  General  in  the 
French  army,  at  Newport,  and  some  other  French  officers, 
arrived;  the  detachment  defiled  before  them,  and)  pro 
ceeded  for  the  lines.  The  French  officers  were  much 
pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the  troops. 

Gen.  Chastellux  then  acompanied  our  General  over  to 
the  Point,  and  on  landing  was  saluted  by  the  discharge 
of  13  cannon ;  after  dinner,  he  took  a  view  of  Forts  Clin 
ton,  Putnam,  Wyllys,  &c.  At  evening,  Count  Noailles, 
Count  Damas,  and  Maj.  Duplessis,  arrived  at  the  Point. 
The  next  morning,  about  9  o'clock,  Gen.  Chastellux  and 
the  other  French  officers,  amidst  a  severe  cold  storm  of 
rain,  embarked  on  board  the  barge,  and  went  down  the 
river  to  King's  Ferry,  on  their  way  to  head-quarters;  on 
leaving  West  Point,  they  were  again  saluted  by  13  cannon. 

The  evening  of  the  22d,   Brig.    Gen.    Stark  arrived   at 


245 

Wright's  Mills,  and  the  wagons  were  collected  at  North 
Castle.  This  grand  forage  was  to  mask  an  enterprise 
which  was  to  have  been  attempted  by  Gen.  Washington, 
from  the  main  army;  although  the  foraging  was  in  itself 
an  important  object.  The  enterprise,  for  some  reasons, 
was  not  attempted,  but  the  grand  forage  was  very  success 
ful.  Some  of  the  light  troops  went  as  low  down  as  East- 
Chester;  and  on  the  27th,  Gen.  Stark  returned  with  a 
large  quantity  of  corn,  some  hay,  cattle,  &c. 

The  next  day,  the  main  army  separated  to  move  into 
winter  quarters,  and  the  light  infantry  corps  was  broken 
up  for  the  winter,  and  the  men  ordered  to  join  their  re 
spective  regiments.  The  corps  of  light  infantry  was  per 
haps  as  fine  a  body  of  men  as  was  ever  formed.  Major- 
General  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  had,  with  infinite 
pains  and  great  expense,  endeavoured  to  render  them  re 
spectable  in  their  appearance  as  well  as  discipline,  in 
which  he  was  nobly  seconded  by  the  officers :  it  was  a  pity 
that  the  operations  of  the  campaign  did  not  afford  an  op 
portunity  for  the  Marquis  to  signalize  himself  with  this 
corps. 

30th. — The  New  Jersey  brigade  left  West  Point,  pro 
ceeding  down  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson,  on  their  way 
to  Pompton,  where  they  took  winter-quarters.  In  the 
afternoon,  the  four  Massachusetts  brigades  arrived  at 
West  Point,  and  the  two  Connecticut  brigades  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  where  the  whole  took  winter-quarters. 

A  few  days  before,  viz.  on  the  23d,  Maj.  Tallmadge,  with 
a  detachment  from  the  2d  regiment  of  dragoons,  con 
ducted  with  great  address  an  enterprise  against  the 
enemy's  fort,  St.  George,  on  Long  Island.  Fort  St. 
George  was  stockaded,  and  encompassed  a  large  spot  of 
ground,  a  square  redoubt,  with  a  ditch  and  abatis.  The 
enterprise  succeeded  completely.  One  half-pay  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel,  1  half-pay  Captain,  1  Subaltern,  and  50  rank 
and  file,  were  made  prisoners.  The  fort  was  destroyed  and 
burnt.  Two  armed  vessels  burnt,  and  a  large  magazine  of 
hay,  said  to  be  about  300  tons,  was  destroyed. 


246 

December  1st. — One  of  the  largest  scows  at  King's 
Ferry,  in  crossing,  with  several  baggage  wagons  on  board, 
sunk. 

The  same  day,  our  General  began  to  discharge  the  six 
months'  men,  beginning  with  those  who  were  the  worst 
clothed  and  unfit  for  duty. 

4th. — The  three  New  York  regiments  sailed  for  Albany, 
where  they  were  to  take  winter-quarters. 

5th. — Marquis  la  Val,1  Count  de  Custine,  and  Col. 
Pleury,  of  the  French  army  at  Newport,  arrived  at  West 
Point  on  a  visit. 

6th. — At  evening  his  Excellency  Gen.  Washington,  ar 
rived  at  New  Windsor,  where  he  took  winter-quarters. 
The  same  evening,  accounts  were  received  that  there  had 
been  a  terrible  hurricane  in  the  West  Indies. 

On  the  evening  of  the  9th,  Gen.  Varnum  and  Col.  Pick 
ering  arrived  at  West  Point;  at  this  time  the  troops  were 
without  bread,  and  very  uneasy.  The  next  day,  300  bar 
rels  of  flour  arrived.  A  little  before  noon,  Gen.  Washing 
ton  visited  West  Point. 

12th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  New  York  that 
another  embarkation  was  to  take  place,  and  that  Gen. 
Phillips  and  Gen.  Arnold  were  to  command.  Major  Tall- 
madge  received  the  thanks  of  Congress  for  his  good  con 
duct  in  taking  Fort  St.  George. 

17th. — An  express  from  Major  Maxwell2  on  the  lines, 
brought  up  intelligence  that  the  enemy  at  Morrisania, 
under  Col.  Delancey,  were  preparing  for  an  enterprise. 
The  Major  was  cautioned  to  be  on  his  guard. 

18th. — News  was  received  that  Monsieur  de  Sartines, 
the  primate  of  France  had  been  removed — Mr.  D'Cas- 
tries  appointed. 

19th. — News  was  received  that  the  Hon.  Henry  Laurens 
who  was  sent  on  a  mission  to  Holland,  had  been  taken  by 

1  Marquis    Laval   de    Montmorency. 

2  Hugh  Maxwell,  15th  Massachusetts  (died  Oct.  14,  1799). 


247 

the  British,  carried  into  England,  and  closely  confined. 
The  British  government  talked  of  sending  to  America 
a  large  reinforcement  for  the  next  campaign. 

20th. — Further  intelligence  having  been  received  that 
Col.  Delancey  intended  to  visit  our  troops  on  the  lines, 
in  order  to  give  him  a  proper  reception,  150  men  were  or 
dered  from  the  New  Hampshire  line  to  march  to  Crom 
Pond. 

21st. — Intelligence  was  received  that  on  the  preceding 
Friday,  the  transports  which  had  taken  the  troops  on 
board  at  New  York,  fell  down  to  the  watering  place.  They 
were  to  be  convoyed  by  one  50  gun  ship  and  two  frigates. 

On  the  night  of  the  9th,  Major  Hugerford1,  of  De- 
lancey's  corps,  surprised  and  took  prisoners  Lieut.  Col. 
Wells2,  of  a  Connecticut  State  regiment,  who  was  sta 
tioned  near  Horseneck,  with  one  Captain,  two  Lieuten 
ants,  two  Ensigns,  and  upwards  of  twenty  privates. 

23d. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Monsieur  the 
Chevalier  de  Ternay,3,  Admiral  of  the  French  squadron  at 
Newport,  had  died  there. 

The  troops  on  the  lines  were  reinforced  with  50  men, 
and  Lieut.  Col.  Hull4  was  appointed  to  the  command  on 
the  lines. 

27th. — The  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  Washington 
Lodge  celebrated  the  feast  of  St.  John,  at  Starkean  Hall, 
West  Point. 

30th. — Gen.  Washington  visited  the  Point,  and,  with 
a  number  of  other  officers,  dined  with  our  General. 

On  the  25th  inst.  Major  Humphreys,  Aid-de-camp  to  the 
Commander  in  Chief,  went  towards  New  York  on  an  en- 


1  Major  Huggeford   (as  the  name  is  generally  spelled)    owned    a  farm 
in  Yorktown,  Westchester  County.  It  had  been     confiscated,     and     was 
afterwards  given  to  one  of  Andre's  captors. 

2  Devi  Wells. 

3  Charles  Louis  d'Arsac,  Chevalier  de  Ternay,  died  July  10,  1780.  Bull's 
Memoirs  of  Newport   says  he  was  killed  in  a  duel  with  a  naval  officer. 

He  is  buried  in  Trinity  churchyard,  Newport. 

4  William  Hull,  3d  Mass.,  afterwards  Major  Gen.  Hull,  of  1812. 


248  [1780 

terprise;  he  was  attended  by  Capt.  Welles1,  of  the  Con 
necticut  line,  Lieut.  Hart,2  Ensign  M'Calpin,  Mr.  Buch 
anan,  Mr.  M'Guyer,  and  twenty-four  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates,  in  one  barge  and  two  whale-boats. 
The  wind  was  very  fresh  at  north-west  in  the  night,  and 
the  boats  were  forced  past  the  city,  and  one  of  them  al 
most  down  to  Sandy  Hook— one  of  the  boats  put  in  at 
Staten  Island:  at  length  the  three  went  round  to  Bruns 
wick,  from  whence  the  Major  and  all  the  others  returned 
to  the  army  on  the  1st  of  January. 

31st. — On  the  evening  of  the  29th,  a  party  of  the  enemy 
from  Delancey's  corps,  consisting  of  about  100  infantry 
and  50  horse,  came  up  to  North  Castle,  where,  after  a 
short  halt,  they  proceeded  towards  Bedford  New  Pur 
chase.  Capt.  Pritchard3,  who  was  ported  at  Bedford  with 
a  company  of  Continental  troops,  and  some  militia,  im 
mediately  advanced  towards  them,  attacked  their  van, 
who  retreated,  as  did  their  main  body.  Capt.  Pritchard 
pursued  them  as  far  as  Young's.  It  was  said  that  one  of 
the  enemy  was  killed  and  several  wounded,  who  were  car 
ried  off  in  a  wagon.  Four  oxen  and  between  30  and  40 
sheep  were  retaken — eight  or  ten  head  of  cattle  were 
driven  off;  the  Captain  sustained  no  injury. 

This  day  the  enemy  were  out  again;  Col.  Hull  immedi 
ately  marched  down  with  his  whole  force  to  meet  them; 
by  his  vigilance  they  were  prevented  from  doing  any  mis 
chief,  and  on  his  advance,  retired  towards  the  saw-pits.4 

1781. — January  1st. — The  Pennsylvania  line  mutinied 
almost  to  a  man,  seized  the  artillery,  broke  open  the  ma 
gazines  of  ammunition  and  provisions,  took  out  what  they 
judged  necessary,  and  took  up  their  line  of  march.  The 
officers  exerted  themselves,  both  by  threats  and  persuas 
ion,  to  reduce  them  to  order;  but  all  was  in  vain.  They 

1  Probably  Captain  Roger  Welles  of  Webb's  (9th  Conn.) 

2  Lieut.   (Capt.)   John  Hart  of  Webb's.     The  others  cannot  be  iden 
tified. 

3  Capt  Thomas  Pritchard,  5th  Mass. 

4  Saw  Pits  is  now  Port  Chester,  N.  Y. 


1781]  249 

were  told  that  the  enemy  might  take  the  advantage  of 
their  conduct,  and  come  out — they  answered,  that  if  the 
enemy  came  out  they  would  immediately  put  themselves 
under  the  command  of  their  officers,  and  fight  them;  but 
that  in  any  other  case  they  would  not  be  commanded. 
They  took  Gen.  Wayne's  horses  out  of  his  stable,  and  put 
them  to  draw  the  field-pieces.  At  night  they  encamped, 
posting  out  pickets,  guards,  and  planting  centinels  in  a 
very  regular  manner.  An  alarm  was  given  to  the  country 
by  firing  the  beacons,  &c.  and  the  militia  were  assembling. 
The  reasons  given  for  the  revolt  were  the  intolerable  suf 
ferings  of  the  army — the  want  of  pay,  of  which  11  months 
was  due — the  want  of  clothing,  many  of  the  troops  being 
almost  naked — the  want  of  provisions,  and  that  many  of 
them  were  held  beyond  the  term  of  their  enlistment.  They 
directed  their  march  towards  Philadelphia,  determined  to 
demand  redress  of  their  grievances  of  Congress. 

7th. — Maj.  Gen.  Knox  was  sent  off  by  the  Commander 
in  Chief  to  the  eastern  States,  to  represent  the  alarming 
situation  and  sufferings  of  the  army. 

8th. — Major  Throop,  with  100  men,  was  sent  towards 
Pomp  ton,  in  the  Jersies,  to  cover  the  public  stores  at 
Itingwood.  In  the  afternoon,  169  barrels  of  flour  arrived 
at  the  Point. 

llth. — His  Excellency  the  Commander  in  Chief  came 
down  to  West  Point,  when  a  Council  of  WTar  was  held  at 
our  General's  quarters,  in  which  all  the  General  Officers 
on  the  ground,  and  all  the  Colonels  and  commanding  offi 
cers  of  the  regiments  sat,  to  consider  what  measures  were 
necessary  to  be  adopted,  with  respect  to  the  Pennsylvania 
line.  After  the  Council,  by  order  of  the  Commander  in 
Chief,  our  General  issued  orders  for  the  forming  of  five 
battalions,  by  detachment  from  the  several  lines,  to  be 
held  in  the  most  perfect  readiness  to  march  on  the  shortest 
notice,  with  four  days'  provisions  cooked.  The  mutineers 
remained  on  the  heights  of  Princeton  and  two  emissaries 
were  sent  out  to  them  from  the  enemy,  with  offers,  in 


250 

writing,  promising  to  redress  their  grievances  by  dis- 
cliai-gjiig  them  from  their  enlistments,  paying  all  their  ar 
rearages  of  pay  and  depreciation,  and  exempting  them 
from  serving  in  the  British  army,  if  they  should  choose  it. 
The  mutineers  nobly  disdained  these  offers,  and  gave  up 
the  emissaries  and  their  papers:  they  were  tried,  and 
hanged  as  spies ;  the  one  was  an  inhabitant  of  New  Jersey, 
the  other  was  a  British  Sergeant.  Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
and  Gen.  Knyphausen  were  said  to  have  been  on  Staten 
Island.  The  State  appointed  a  Committee  to  inquire  into 
the  grounds  of  the  complaints  of  the  mutineers,  and  to  re 
dress  such  as  appeared  to  have  foundation:  this  brought 
the  business  to  a  close.  A  number  of  the  soldiers  were 
discharged,  the  rest  returned  to  their  duty. 

Accounts  were  received  from  the  southward,  that  the 
American  army  in  that  quarter  were  in  a  most  miserable 
condition,  on  account  of  clothing  and  provisions,  and  that 
their  sufferings  were  greater  than  those  experienced  by 
the  main  army.  These  sufferings  of  the  army  were  ren 
dered  the  keener,  by  the  return  of  the  officers  and  soldiers 
from  furlough,  who  had  been  in  the  great  sea  port  towns, 
where  every  necessary  and  luxury  of  life  were  enjoyed  in 
the  greatest  abundance,  many  tables  groaning  under  the 
pressure  of  the  dainties  with  which  they  were  covered. 
Their  liquors  were  not  only  the  best,  but  also  of  great  va 
riety.  Such  reports  to  men  standing  centinel,  as  it  were, 
in  the  jaws  of  death,  ill  clad,  cold  and  hungry,  with  noth 
ing  but  water  oftentimes  to  drink,  were  trials  almost  too 
great  for  human  nature  to  bear.  The  old  Continental  cur 
rency  was  fixed  at  75  for  one,  at  Philadelphia. 

13th. — The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  and  Count  Deuxponts 
visited  West  Point. 

17th.— Intelligence  was  received  that  the  troops  which 
some  time  before  sailed  from  New  York,  were  in  the  Chesa- 
peak,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Arnold,  and  supposed  to 
be  on  a  plundering  expedition. 

The  enemy  at  New  York  removed  the  greater  part  of 


251 

their  shipping  from  the  East  Eiver  round  into  the  North 
River. 

18th. — Two  hundred  men,  properly  officered,  marched 
down  to  the  lines,  under  pretence  of  being  a  relief;  100 
men  of  Hazen's  regiment  moved  from  Fishkill  to  the  vil 
lage,  and  a  detachment  of  artillery  from  West  Point. 
These  were  intended  for  an  enterprise  against  the  enemy. 

19th. — 150  men  from  the  Connecticut  line,  and  200 
from  the  New  Hampshire  line,  were  to  move  towards  the 
lines;  these,  with  those  who  marched  from  Hazen's  the 
day  before,  were  to  form  a  covering  party  to  the  detach 
ment  under  Lieut.  Col.  Hull,  who  was  to  make  an  attempt 
on  Delancey's  corps. 

21st. — A  letter  was  received  from  Major  Throop,  at 
Kingwood,  stating  that  the  evening  before  the  Jersey 
line,  at  Pompton,  had  revolted,  and  it  was  supposed  would 
be  joined  by  the  other  part  of  the  line,  who  were  at  Chat 
ham.  Their  intentions  had  not  been  developed. 

22d. — His  Excellency  Gen.  Washington,  the  Marquis  de 
la  Fayette,  and  a  number  of  French  gentlemen,  visited  the 
Point.  The  same  day,  500  rank  and  tile,  properly  officered, 
from  the  Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and  New  Hampshire 
lines,  were  detached  and  ordered  to  march  the  next  day 
under  the  command  of  Maj.  Gen.  Howe,  to  establish  order 
and  discipline  in  the  Jersies. 

23d. — The  detachment  marched  from  West  Point  for 
the  Jersies.  The  battalion  from  thence  was  commanded 
by  Col.  Sprout.  The  troops  on  the  east  side  of  the  river 
were  to  cross  and  join  those  from  the  Point,  at  King's 
Ferry:  the  detachment  marched  in  high  spirits. 

24th. — In  the  morning  about  sunrise,  a  noise  was 
heard  in  the  air,  resembling  the  firing  of  platoons,  and 
there  were  various  conjectures  respecting  it.  Intelligence 
was  received  that  Gen.  Arnold  had  gone  up  James  River, 
in  Virginia,  and  had  taken  possession  of  Williainsburg, 
and  was  moving  towards  Richmond ;  that  he  met  with  but 


252 

little  opposition,  and  would  probably  plunder  large  quan 
tities  of  tobacco  and  other  articles. 

28th. — The  detachment  under  the  command  of  Lieut. 
Col.  Hull,  returned  from  the  enterprise  against  the  enemy 
at  Morrisania.  The  address  and  gallantry  of  the  officers, 
the  bravery  and  patience  of  the  troops,  exhibited  on  the 
occasion,  did  them  much  honour.  Besides  a  number  of 
the  enemy  who  were  killed,  upwards  of  fifty  were  made 
prisoners;  the  pontoon  bridge  was  cut  away,  the  huts  and 
forage  were  burnt,  and  a  large  number  of  cattle  driven  up. 
Of  the  detachment,  one  Ensign,  one  drummer,  and  ten 
rank  and  file,  were  killed;  one  Captain,  one  Sergeant,  and 
eleven  rank  and  file  wounded ;  six  rank  and  file  were  miss 
ing. 

31st. — Maj.  Gen.  Howe  returned  with  the  detachment 
from  the  Jersies;  order  was  established  among  the  troops 
in  that  quarter:  two  of  the  ringleaders  in  the  revolt  were 
executed.  It  was  learnt  that  considerable  damage  was 
done  to  the  enemy's  shipping  at  New  York  by  the  high 
gusts  of  wind,  on  the  night  of  the  23d.  It  was  also  said 
that  a  British  74  gun  ship  was  dismantled  off  New  Lon 
don;  another  struck  a  reef,  and  a  third  went  out  to  sea 
with  one  of  her  masts  lost. 

February  12th. — The  Duke  de  Lauzun,  Count  Pherson1 
and  Col.  Sheldon2,  of  the  French  army,  visited  West 
Point. 

13th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  on  the  17th  ul 
timo,  an  action3  happened  near  Pedee,  in  Carolina,  be 
tween  a  body  of  the  enemy  under  Lieut.  Col.  Tarleton,  and 
a  body  of  about  800  Americans,  under  the  command  of 
Gen.  Morgan :  the  enemy  were  totally  routed,  and  pur 
sued  upwards  of  20  miles.  Of  the  enemy,  10  officers  and 
100  rank  and  file  were  killed,  and  200  wounded;  29  officers 


1  Count  Axel  Fersen,  afterwards  the  friend  of  Marie  Antoinette. 

2  Col.   Sheldon  was  a  French  officer,  of  English   extraction.     Uestre 
de  Camp  of  Lauzun's  hussars. 

3  The  battle  of  Cowpens. 


253 

and  500  rank  and  file  were  taken  prisoners,  with  two  field- 
pieces,  2  standards,  800  muskets,  35  wagons,  70  negroes, 
100  dragoon  horses,  one  traveling-forge,  and  all  their 
music.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  not  more  than  12 
killed  and  60  wounded. 

14th. — General  Warner1  and  Col.  Ashley,  of  Massachu 
setts  arrived  at  West  Point,  to  distribute  to  the  soldiers 
of  the  Massachusetts  line,  engaged  to  serve  during  the 
war,  24  dollars  in  specie,  each,  as  a  generous  gratuity  from 
the  State.  The  most  sensible  soldiers  did  not  applaud 
this  measure,  as  it  did  not  assure  to  them  the  full  payment 
of  the  wages  due  to  them,  while  this  boon  increased  the  bur 
den  of  debt  on  the  State. 

16th. — Count  de  St.  Maim2,  of  the  French  army,  visited 
West  Point.  The  same  day,  orders  were  issued  for  aug 
menting  the  light  companies  of  all  the  regiments  at  West 
Point,  and  its  dependencies,  to  50  rank  and  file  each; 
they  were  to  rendezvous,  the  18th  or  19th,  at  Peek's  Kill. 

17th. — The  light  companies  were  formed  into  battalions 
in  the  following  order:  the  eight  eldest  companies  of  the 
Massachusetts  line  to  form  a  battalion  under  the  com 
mand  of  Col.  Vose  and  Maj.  Gal  van;  the  two  youngest 
companies  of  that  line,  and  those  of  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island,  to  form  a  battalion,  under  the  command  of 
Col.  Gamat3  and  Maj.  Throop;  those  of  the  New  Hampshire 
line,  and  Col.  Hazen's  regiment,  and  such  others  as  might 
be  joined  to  them,  to  form  a  battalion.  This  appointment 
of  officers  was  declared  to  be  intended  not  to  affect  the 
general  plan  of  arranging  the  light  infantry  for  the  cam 
paign.  The  preceding  morning,  the  enemy  made  an  ex 
cursion  from  Morrisania  towards  Bedford,  took  Lieuts. 
Carpenter,  Wright  and  Peacock4  and  five  other  inhabi 
tants  prisoners;  burnt  five  houses,  plundered  and  stript 

1  Seth  Warner  and  probably  Col.  Moses  Ashley,  5th  Mass. 

2  Jean  B.  L.  P.  F.  d'Ollteres,     Count  de  St.  Mesme  (or  Saint  Maime), 
was  colonel  of  the  regiment  of  Soissonais. 

SGimat,  aide  to  Lafayette,  wounded  at  Yorktown. 

4  Probably  Richard  Peacock  of  Malcolm's  New  York  regiment. 


254 

several  other  inhabitants,  and  returned.  They  were  pur 
sued  by  Capt.  Pritchard,  but  could  not  be  overtaken. 

18th. — The  light  companies  were  inspected.  It  appeared 
that  Admiral  Arbuthnot's  squadron  were  so  much 
damaged  in  the  storm  on  the  23d  ult.  as  to  be  rendered  in 
ferior  to  the  French  in  these  seas. 

20th. — A  detachment  of  artillery  was  ordered  from  the 
park  to  join  the  light  infantry ;  the  whole  were  to  be  com 
manded  by  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  and  were  to  march 
to  the  southward.  The  same  day,  six  of  our  guides,  on  a 
reconnoitring  party  towards  King's  Bridge,  fell  in  with  a 
reconnoitring  party  of  Delancey's  corps:  the  guides  at 
tacked  them  and  took  five  prisoners,  all  of  whom  were 
wounded. 

24th. — The  detachment  doing  duty  on  the  lines  was 
reduced  to  50  rank  and  file,  properly  officered.  Capt.  Paul 
Jones,  who  arrived  in  the  Ariel,  at  Philadelphia  on  the 
17th,  in  eight  weeks  from  L'Orient,  brought  a  large  quan 
tity  of  powder. 

28th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  a  considerable 
embarkation  of  troops  was  taking  place  at  New  York — the 
inhabitants  and  army  in  some  consternation.  It  was  said 
that  a  fleet  of  French  merchantmen  had  arrived  in  the 
Chesapeake;  but  from  appearances,  there  were  good 
grounds  to  suspect  that  there  was  something  more  than 
merchant  ships. 

March  1st. — News  was  received  that  a  part  of  the 
French  squadron  at  Newport  had  sailed  as  far  as  the 
Chesapeake,  where  they  took  the  Romulus,  of  50  guns,  and 
nine  privateers  and  transports;  four  of  the  latter  they 
destroyed,  not  having  spare  men  to  navigate  them ;  but  the 
remainder,  with  the  Romulus,  had  safely  arrived  at  Rhode 
Island. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  March,  Gen.  Washington 
set  out  from  New  Windsor  for  Rhode  Island.  By  the  last 
accounts  from  the  southward,  Lord  Cornwallis  was  ad 
vancing  rapidly,  and  Gen.  Greene  retreating  moderately. 


255 

His  Lordship  had  destroyed  his  wagons,  and  disengaged 
himself  of  incumbrance  as  much  as  possible. 

3d. — A  Oapt.  Simmons,  of  Delancey's  corps,  was  sent 
up  to  West  Point;  he  asserted  to  be  disaffected  to  the 
enemy  on  some  pretences,  and  that  he  had  resigned  his 
commission,  and  deserted  from  them:  he  was  sent  to  the 
Governor  of  the  State. 

5th. — Three  prisoners  were  sent  up;  they  were  taken 
by  a  party  of  our  guides  within  a  small  distance  of  the 
enemy's  post,  No.  8,  near  Morrisania. 

6th  and  7th. — Col.  Vanschaak's1  regiment  of  the  New 
York  line  arrived  at  West  Point  from  Albany.  The  troops 
were  at  this  time  well  supplied  with  provisions,  but  almost 
totally  destitute  of  forage,  and  subjected  to  great  fatigue 
in  obtaining  fuel,  which  part  of  the  troops  were  obliged 
to  bring  on  their  backs,  nearly  a  mile. 

9th. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  the  last  embarka 
tion  of  British  troops  sailed  from  New  York  the  preceding 
Wednesday,  said  to  be  six  regiments,  making  about  3000 
men  in  the  whole.  The  southern  militia  had  been  success 
ful  against  the  Cherokee  Indians,  and  destroyed  a  num 
ber  of  their  towns.  The  last  advices  from  the  southward 
stated  that  Lord  Cornwallis  had  continued  to  push  rapidly 
after  Gen.  Greene,  who  had  crossed  Dan  River,  and  his 
Lordship  had  come  up  to  it,  and  then  began  to  retreat;  on 
which  Gen.  Greene  re-crossed  the  Dan,  in  order  to  pursue 
him,  and  that  the  militia  were  collecting.  Gen.  Arnold 
kept  close  at  Portsmouth ;  Gen.  Mecklenburgh2  was  near 
him,  with  a  superior  force,  and  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette 
was  as  far  as  Elk  on  the  3d  with  the  light  infantry. 

llth. — A  detachment  of  recruits  from  Massachusetts 
arrived.  The  same  day,  Capt.  Pray3  was  ordered  to  take 
command  of  the  Block-House  at  Dobbs'  Ferry,  the  water- 
guards,  &c. 


1  Van  Schaick's. 

2  Muhlenberg. 

3  John  Pray,  12th  Mass.      (Died  Sept.,  1812.) 


256 

On  the  first  of  this  month,  the  Confederation  and  per 
petual  Union  of  the  Thirteen  American  States,  from  New 
Hampshire  to  Georgia,  inclusive,  was  signed  and  ratified 
by  all  the  Delegates  in  Congress. 

On  the  evening  of  the  12th,  intelligence  was  received 
from  Capt.  Pray,  that  at  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
he  was  alarmed  by  the  firing  of  guns,  blowing  of  horns,  &c. 
— that  the  enemy  were  out  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  In 
consequence  of  this,  an  express  was  sent  off  to  Maj.  Max 
well  to  be  on  his  guard ;  and  a  detachment  of  150  men  was 
ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  march  early  the  next  morn 
ing,  if  it  should  be  necessary  to  cover  him. 

13th. — The  intelligence  of  the  enemy  being  out  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  was  confirmed ;  as  to  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  the  enemy  came  out  from  Paulus  Hook  about  200 
strong,  with  two  field-pieces,  and  had  advanced  within 
about  three  miles  of  the  Block-House  at  Dobbs'  Ferry. 
About  noon  a  detachment  of  150  men,  under  the  command 
of  Maj.  Graham,  with  one  field-piece,  embarked  on  board  a 
sloop,  and  with  the  gun-boat,  having  one  six  and  one  three 
pounder,  and  a  flat  boat,  fell  down  the  river  to  King's 
Ferry,  where  they  were  ordered  to  debark  and  make  a 
movement  to  Tappan,  for  the  relief  of  the  Block-House. 
The  garrisons  of  the  redoubts  on  the  east  side  were 
doubled. 

14th. — About  noon,  Maj.  Graham  returned;  he  had, 
with  the  detachment,  embarked  the  preceding  day,  pro 
ceeded  to  King's  Ferry,  disembarked,  marched  to  Haver- 
straw,  where  he  met  the  militia  returning;  when  he  re 
turned  to  the  Ferry,  re-embarked,  and  arrived  at  West 
Point  about  noon;  having  exhibited  a  spirit  and  expedi 
tion  that  did  the  detachment  much  honour. 

The  enemy  were  completely  defeated  in  their  design 
by  the  militia,  who  early  turned  out,  attacked,  repulsed, 
and  pursued  them,  until  they  retook  all  their  plunder  ex 
cept  two  horses,  and  justly  merited  high  commendation. 
The  inilitia  had  one  man  wounded;  the  enemy  were  sup- 


257 

posed  to  have  had  several  killed  and  wounded.  The  same 
day,  Brig.  Gen.  Hand  was  announced,  in  general  orders, 
Adjutant-General  of  the  army,  in  the  room  of  Col.  Scam- 
mell,  who  had  discharged  the  duty  of  that  office  for  some 
time,  to  great  acceptation.  Col.  Scammell  joined  his  regi 
ment. 

15th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  enemy's  fleet, 
which  had  sailed  from  New  York  the  preceding  week,  re 
turned  on  Sunday,  having  found  that  the  French  fleet 
were  on  the  coast ;  their  return  occasioned  some  consterna 
tion  at  New  York.  The  same  day,  news  reached  the  army 
that  Brig.  Gen.  Peleg  Wadsworth,  who  commanded 
some  militia  levies  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Massachusetts, 
had  been  surprised  and  taken  prisoner  in  the  night  by  two 
British  officers  and  some  refugees,  at  a  place  called 
Camden.1 

16th. — It  was  learnt  that  the  French  fleet,  with  troops, 
sailed  from  Rhode  Island  on  the  8th ;  and  it  was  said  that 
Admiral  Arbuthnot,  with  the  British  fleet,  came  out  of 
Gardiner's  Bay  on  the  10th.  The  small  pox  at  this  time 
made  its  appearance  in  the  vicinity  of  the  army  and  sev 
eral  soldiers  were  taken  down  with  that  distemper.  The 
enemy  who  were  out  a  day  or  two  before,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Hudson,  did  no  mischief.  About  this  time  a  dis 
covery  was  made  that  a  number  of  persons  at  Stratford, 
Norwalk,  &c.  had  been  secretly  associating  to  submit  to 
the  enemy  if  a  favourable  opportunity  presented;  and  to 
supply  them  with  provisions,  furnish  intelligence,  &c. 

19th.— Letters  from  Gen.  Greene,  of  the  28th  ult.  at 
Highrock  Ford,  on  Haw  River,  advised  that  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  had  retreated  from  Hillsborough,  and  that  Gen. 
Pickens  and  Col.  Lee  had  fallen  in  with  Col.  Hamilton's 
corps  (rising  of  200)  and  had  killed  and  taken  almost 
every  individual  of  them;  and  that  several  other  skirm 
ishes  had  happened,  but  nothing  decisive.  Lord  Corn- 

1  Maine.    See  Dwight's  "Travels  in  New  England,"  Vol.  2. 


258 

walli s  had  erected  the  royal  standard  at  Hillsborough  and 
issued  a  vain  proclamation,  as  usual. 

By  accounts  from  New  York,  it  appeared  that  the  Brit 
ish  had  declared  war  against  the  Dutch,  and  had  taken 
possession  of  St.  Eustatia. 

20th. — In  the  afternoon,  Gen.  Washington  arrived  at 
head-quarters,  at  New  Windsor,  from  the  eastward. 

21st. — Five  prisoners  of  war  were  sent  to  West  Point : 
they  were  taken  by  some  of  the  light  parties  below  the 
lines;  a  sixth  who  was  taken  was  so  badly  wounded  as 
to  be  left  behind  for  the  present. 

22d. — Several  resolutions  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts 
in  favour  of  the  line  of  the  army,  and  for  the  discharge  of 
governmental  securities,  were  received  at  West  Point. 

23d. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  British  fleet 
which  sailed  from  New  York  some  time  before,  and  had 
been  chased  back  by  the  French  fleet,  sailed  again  on  the 
preceding  Wednesday  for  the  southward.  It  was  said  that 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  on  board,  and  that  Gen.  Knyp- 
hausen  was  to  command  in  his  absence — that  the  enemy 
were  collecting  a  number  of  flat-boats  in  Spuyten  Duyvil 
Creek,  near  Kingsbridge,  and  that  24  were  then  collected 
—that  Arnold's  corps  was  under  orders  to  be  in  readiness 
to  man  the  boats.  Two  spies  were  sent  out  of  New  York 
the  same  day  the  fleet  sailed;  they  were  to  pass,  by  dif 
ferent  routes,  through  the  country  to  Canada, 

24th. — A  number  of  prisoners  of  war,  who  had  been  col 
lected  at  West  Point,  were  sent  off  under  a  guard  of  60 
men,  commanded  by  Capt.  Pope1,  to  Lancaster,  in  Penn 
sylvania. 

28th. — The  New  Hampshire  brigade  were  ordered  to 
do  duty  on  the  lines;  and  the  Rhode  Island  regiment  to 
return  to  their  quarters  near  Robinson's  Mills. 

29th. — News  was  received  from  Philadelphia  that  the 
French  and  English  fleets  had  had  an  engagement  off  the 

1  Isaac  Pope,  4th  Mass. 


259 

Capes  of  Virginia,  but  that  the  issue  was  not  known.  The 
same  day,  intelligence  was  received  from  New  York,  that 
one  of  Admiral  Arbuthnot's  ships  had  returned  to  New 
York  on  Monday,  and  reported  that  there  had  been  an  en 
gagement  beween  the  two  fleets,  and  that  it  was  a  drawn 
battle. 

31st. — A  New  York  paper  of  the  28th  was  received,  in 
which  it  was  said  that  an  engagement  between  the  two 
fleets  took  place  on  the  16th,  off  the  Capes  of  Virginia,  in 
which  several  ships  on  both  sides  received  considerable 
damage;  and  that  the  British  had  1  Lieutenant,  2  mid 
shipmen,  and  40  seamen  killed,  and  80  wounded.  The 
French  account  was  not  greatly  different  from  that  of 
the  British,  but  did  not  mention  the  number  of  killed  or 
wounded. 

A  number  of  American  soldiers  who  had  not  had  the 
small  pox,  were  collected  and  inoculated. 

April  3d. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  a  battle  had 
been  fought  between  Gen.  Greene's  army  and  that  of  Lord 
Cornwallis.  The  action  was  bloody;  and  although  his 
Lordship  may  be  said  to  have  gained  the  victory,  as  Gen. 
Greene  retreated  a  mile  from  the  field  of  battle,  yet  it  was 
a  dear  bought  victory.  Gen.  Greene  having  lost  his  horses, 
4  pieces  of  cannon  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Some 
of  the  British  corps,  and  in  particular  the  Guards,  suf 
fered  much.  This  day,  Capt.  Pray,  of  the  water-guards, 
was  reinforced  with  a  whale-boat,  a  Subaltern,  and  14  men. 

4th. — Gen.  Washington  visited  the  Point.  In  the  after 
noon,  2  prisoners  of  war  were  sent  up — they  were  of  a 
party  who  had  crossed  Croton  River  and  taken  16  head  of 
cattle  and  four  horses.  On  their  return,  near  Dobbs'  Ferry, 
they  were  overtaken  by  a  party  of  the  militia — the  cattle 
etc.  retaken,  and  two  of  the  party  made  prisoners.  About 
this  time,  the  southern  mail  was  carried  off,  between  head 
quarters  and  the  Jersies.  The  mail  contained  some  letters 
of  importance.  The  troops  which  had  sailed  from  New 
York  arrived  safe  in  the  Chesapeake, 


260 

7th. — Private  intelligence  was  received,  that  four  par 
ties  were  to  be  sent  out — one  to  take  Gen.  Washington, 
another  the  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  a  third  the  Governor 
of  New  York,  the  object  of  the  fourth  not  known.  The 
same  day,  the  gun-boat  was  ordered  to  take  a  station  op 
posite  Fort  Mongomery;  additional  guards  to  be  mounted 
in  the  night  time,  and  patroles  to  pass  frequently. 

8th. — The  enemy's  flat  boats,  which  had  been  collected 
near  Kingsbridge,  were  removed  down  into  the  East  Kiver. 

9th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  the  commanding 
officer  on  the  lines,  that  the  enemy  were  out  towards  White 
Plains,  said  to  be  about  90  horse  and  50  foot. 

10th. — The  great  chain  was  hauled  from  off  the  beach 
near  the  red  house  at  West  Point,  and  towed  down  to  the 
blocks,  in  order  to  its  being  laid  across  the  river — about 
280  men  were  ordered  on  this  duty. 

llth. — The  chain  was  properly  fixed  with  great  dexter 
ity,  and  fortunately  without  any  accident. 

12th. — Our  General  visited  the  patients  who  were  under 
inoculation  with  the  small  pox,  when  500  were  turned  out 
and  drawn  up,  all  of  whom  were  then  under  the  operation, 
and  in  a  fine  way.  The  same  day,  intelligence  was  received 
that  the  enemy  were  preparing  for  another  embarkation 
at  New  York,  supposed  for  the  southward 

14th. — A  groom,  belonging  to  Col.  Gunning  of  the  82d 
British  regiment,  came  up;  he  deserted  from  his  master 
with  a  very  good  saddle-horse,  which  he  sold  for  100  dol 
lars  in  specie.  Intelligence  was  received  that  the  enemy 
had  brought  a  large  number  of  wagons  across  the  Sound 
from  Long  Island  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  grand  for 
age  ;  the  covering  party  to  consist  of  three  or  four  hundred 
men,  of  different  corps. 

22d. — Two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars  in  new 
emission  bills  were  brought  to  West  Point,  from  Boston, 
for  the  troops  of  the  Massachusetts  line. 

24th. — Monsieur  Beville,  Quarter-Master  of  the  French 
army  at  Newport,  arrived  at  head-quarters,  New  Windsor ; 


261 

he  came  on  to  view  the  roads,  and  determine  on  the  best 
route,  should  the  French  army  move  that  way,  and  to  fix 
on  proper  places  for  magazines,  etc. 

26th. — Gen.  Washington  visited  West  Point,  with  Mon 
sieur  Beville,  etc.  The  next  day,  the  latter  set  out  on  his 
return  to  Rhode  Island,  taking  the  lower  road  through 
Connecticut.  Many  of  the  soldiers  who  had  gone  through 
the  small  pox,  joined  their  regiments  the  next  day;  of  500 
who  had  been  inoculated,  four  only  had  then  died.  At  this 
time,  provisions  were  growing  very  scarce  at  West  Point, 
and  the  prospects  daily  growing  more  alarming.  The 
magazines  in  Forts  Clinton,  Putnam,  and  some  other  of 
the  most  important  works,  had  reserves  of  the  best  provis 
ions,  which  were  not  to  be  touched;  that  in  case  the 
enemy,  by  any  sudden  movement,  should  invest  them,  and 
cut  off  the  communication  with  the  country,  the  garrisons 
might  be  enabled  to  hold  out,  until  other  troops,  or  the 
militia  of  the  country,  could  march  to  the  relief  of  the  be 
sieged;  but  unfortunately,  the  scarcity  of  provisions  had 
become  so  great  that  even  these  reserves  were  broken  in 
upon,  and  some  of  them  nearly  exhausted;  when,  after 
some  other  representations,  our  General  addressed  the  fol 
lowing  letter  to  Gen.  Washington : 

WEST  POINT,  May  6,  1781. 
"  DEAR  GENERAL, 

I  am  honoured  with  yours  of  the  5th  and  6th,  to  which 
I  shall  duly  attend. 

I  hoped  I  should  not  have  been  compelled  again  to  repre 
sent  our  situation  on  account  of  provisions;  but  supplies 
of  meat  have  not  arrived — all  the  Irish  beef  in  the  store 
has  been  gone  for  some  days — we  are  at  last  forced  in 
upon  the  reserves ;  that  in  Fort  Clinton  has  all  been  taken 
out  this  day — the  pork  which  was  ordered  to  be  reserved 
is  all  issued,  except  about  16  barrels — the  boats  are  now 
up  from  below  for  provisions,  with  representations  that 
they  are  out ;  the  reserves  will  be  gone  in  a  few  days  if  re- 


262 

lief  does  not  arrive,  and  hunger  must  inevitably  disperse 
the  troops.  If  the  authority  of  our  country  will  not  order 
on  supplies,  I  will  struggle  to  the  last  moment  to  main 
tain  the  post:  but  regard  to  my  own  character  compels 
me  to  be  thus  explicit — that  if  any  ill  consequences  hap 
pen  to  this  post  or  its  dependencies  through  want  of  pro 
visions,  I  shall  not  hold  myself  accountable  for  them. 
I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 

(Signed)     W.  HEATH. 
His  Excellency  Gen.  WASHINGTON." 

To  which  the  Commander  in  Chief  wrote  the  following 
answer : 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  NEW  WINDSOR, 

May  8th,  1781. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

Distressed  beyond  expression  at  the  present  situation 
and  future  prospects  of  the  army,  with  regard  to  provis 
ions,  and  convinced  with  you,  that,  unless  an  immediate 
and  regular  supply  can  be  obtained,  the  most  dangerous 
consequences  are  to  be  apprehended — I  have  determined 
to  make  one  great  effort  more  on  the  subject,  and  must 
request  that  you  will  second  and  enforce  my  representa 
tions  to,  and  requisitions  upon  the  New  England  States, 
by  your  personal  application  to  the  several  Executives, 
and  even  Assemblies,  if  sitting,  as  I  suppose  they  will  be 
in  the  course  of  this  month. 

From  your  intimate  knowledge  of  our  embarrassed  and 
distressed  circumstances,  and  great  personal  influence 
with  the  eastern  States,  I  am  induced  to  commit  the  exe 
cution  of  this  interesting  and  important  business  to  you, 
and  wish  you  to  set  out  on  this  mission  as  early  as  may  be 
convenient. 

(Signed)     GEO.  WASHINGTON. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH," 


263 

On  the  next  day  our  General  received  the  following  let 
ter  of  instructions  from  the  Commander  in  Chief,  viz: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  NEW  WINDSOR, 

May  9th,  1781. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

You  will  be  pleased  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  sev 
eral  eastern  States,  with  dispatches  addressed  to  the  Gov 
ernors  of  Connecticut,  Khode  Island,  Massachusetts  Bay, 
and  the  President  of  New  Hampshire,  on  the  subject  of 
supplies  for  the  army.  The  present  critical  and  alarm 
ing  situation  of  our  troops  and  garrisons,  for  the  want  of 
provisions,  is  (from  the  nature  of  your  command)  so  per 
fectly  known  to  you,  and  your  personal  influence  with  the 
New  England  States  is  so  considerable,  that  I  could  not 
hesitate  to  commit  to  you  a  negotiation,  on  the  success  of 
which  the  very  existence  of  the  army  depends. 

The  great  objects  of  your  attention  and  mission  are, 
1st — An  immediate  supply  of  beef  cattle.  2d. — The  trans 
portation  of  all  the  salted  provisions  in  the  western  parts 
of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts;  and  3d — The  estab 
lishment  of  a  regular,  systematic,  effectual  plan  for  feed 
ing  the  army  through  the  campaign.  Unless  the  two  for 
mer  are  effected,  the  garrison  of  Fort  Schuyler  must  in 
evitably,  that  of  West  Point  may  probably,  fall,  and  the 
whole  army  be  disbanded:  without  the  latter,  the  same 
perplexing  wants,  irregularities  and  distress  which  we 
have  so  often  experienced,  will  incessantly  occur,  with 
eventual  far  greater  evils,  if  not  final  ruin. 

With  regard  to  the  particular  mode  of  obtaining  and 
transporting  supplies,  I  will  not  presume  to  dictate;  but 
something  must  now  be  attempted  on  the  spur  of  the  oc 
casion.  I  would  suggest  whether  it  would  not  be  expedi 
ent  for  a  Committee  from  the  several  States,  (consisting 
of  a  few  active,  sensible  men)  to  meet  at  some  convenient 
place,  in  order  to  make  out,  upon  a  uniform  and  great 
scale,  all  the  arrangements  respecting  supplies  and  trans- 


264 

portation  for  the  campaign.  In  the  mean  time,  to  avoid 
the  impending  dissolution  of  the  army,  the  States  must 
individually  comply  precisely  with  the  requisitions  of  the 
Quarter-Master  and  Commissary  upon  them. 

As  the  salted  provisions  which  have  been  put  up  for  the 
public  in  the  eastern  States,  (except  in  the  western  parts 
of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts)  cannot  at  present  be 
transported  to  the  army,  you  will  obtain  accurate  official 
returns  of  the  quantity  that  has  been  procured  in  the  re 
spective  States,  at  what  places,  and  in  whose  charge  it 
actually  is;  and  if  it  should  not  all  be  collected  and 
lodged  in  the  deposits  that  have  been  pointed,  out,  you 
will  urge  this  immediately  to  be  done;  and  that  the  pro 
visions  should  be  repacked,  stored,  and  taken  care  of  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  the  hazard  of  its  being 
tainted  or  lost  by  the  approaching  hot  season. 

I  omit  entering  into  the  detail  of  particulars  which  it 
may  be  necessary  to  state  to  the  respective  Executives,  ( or 
Legislatures  if  in  session)  to  enforce  the  present  requisi 
tion,  because  you  are  as  well  acquainted  with  the  circum 
stances  of  our  distress,  the  prospects  before  us,  and  the 
only  resources  from  whence  we  can  derive  relief,  as  it  is 
possible  for  you  to  be.  Previous  to  your  departure  you 
will  obtain  from  the  Quarter-Master-General  and  Com 
missary  with  the  army,  the  proper  estimates  of  supplies 
and  transportation  to  be  required  of  the  several  States, 
together  with  all  the  light  and  information  concerning 
their  department,  which  may  be  requisite  to  transact  the 
business  committed  to  you. 

After  having  delivered  the  dispatches  with  which 
you  are  charged,  and  made  such  further  representations 
as  you  may  judge  necessary,  you  will  not  cease  your  appli 
cations  and  importunities,  until  you  are  informed 
officially,  whether  effectual  measures  are  or  will  be  taken, 
to  prevent  the  army  from  starving  and  disbanding.  What 
supplies  in  general,  and  particularly  of  beef  cattle,  may 
certainly  be  depended  upon,  to  be  delivered  at  fixed  regu- 


265 

lar  periods  (monthly  or  weekly)  at  the  army,  during  the 
whole  campaign.  When  you  shall  have  seen  this  business 
put  upon  the  surest  footing  and  in  the  best  train  of  execu 
tion,  (which  you  will  endeavour  to  have  effected  as  early 
as  possible)  you  will  be  pleased  to  report  to  me,  without 
delay,  the  success  of  your  proceedings. 

I  heartily  wish  you  success  and  a  pleasant  journey,  and 
am,  &c. 

(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON. 

P.  S. — I  wish  attention  may  be  paid  to  learn  what  quan 
tity  of  rum  is  in  store,  at  what  places,  and  in  what  manner 
it  may  be  forwarded.  In  transportation  the  arrangements 
should  be  made  with  the  States,  so  as  to  have  the  articles 
brought  entirely  through  to  the  army,  without  having  them 
stopped  on  the  road.  You  will  also  be  pleased  to  urge  the 
forwarding  the  summer  clothing.  G.  W. 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

During  the  month  of  April,  a  large  number  of  recruits 
from  the  Eastern  States,  to  fill  up  their  respective  battal 
ions,  arrived  at  West  Point. 

9th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  visited  West  Point. 

llth. — In  the  morning,  our  General  left  West  Point,  and 
proceeded  up  the  river  to  New  Windsor  where  he  received 
from  the  Commander  in  Chief  the  dispatches  addressed 
to  the  several  executives  of  the  New  England  States ;  and 
in  the  afternoon  crossed  the  Hudson,  on  his  journey  east 
ward.  On  his  reaching  Fishkill,  he  found  that  Governor 
Clinton  of  New  York  was  making  every  exertion  in  his 
power  for  the  relief  of  the  army — that  he  had  issued  im 
press  warrants  to  take  flour  and  other  provisions  where 
they  could  be  found,  &c. 

14th. — He  arrived  at  Hartford,  where  he  found  the  Leg 
islature  in  session.  The  dispatches  to  Governor  Trumbull 
were  immediately  presented  to  him,  with  an  earnest  re 
quest  for  speedy  relief.  This  venerable  patriot  gave  assur- 


266 

ance  of  his  immediate  attention  and  exertions,  and  accord 
ingly  laid  the  dispatches  from  Gen.  Washington  before  the 
Legislature,  who  also  discovered  the  same  noble  patriotism. 
They  inquired  into  the  state  of  their  treasury,  and  finding 
that  it  was  destitute  of  money,  except  a  sum  appropriated 
to  another  purpose,  they  ordered  this  money  to  be  taken, 
and  directed  Col.  Champion1,  one  of  their  number,  (a  gen 
tleman  remarkable  for  his  knowledge  in  the  state  of  pro 
visions  in  all  the  towns,  skill  in  purchasing,  and  expedition 
in  forwarding)  immediately  to  purchase  and  forward  on 
to  the  army  160  head  of  beef  cattle,  and  1000  barrels  of 
salted  provisions  from  their  stores;  and  resolved  to  make 
every  other  exertion  in  their  power  to  comply  with  the 
requisitions  of  the  Commander  in  Chief,  as  they  respected 
both  fresh  and  salted  provisions,  by  appointing  a  commit 
tee  for  a  general  arrangement  of  supplies. 

16th.— Our  General  left  Hartford,  and  on  the  18th 
reached  Greenwich,  in  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  where  he 
waited  upon  Gov.  Greene,  and  presented  the  dispatches 
from  Gen.  Washington.  The  Legislature  of  the  State  were 
not  then  in  session,  but  Gov.  Greene  made  the  most  satis 
factory  assurances  that  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  would 
adopt  every  measure  recommended  by  the  Commander  in 
Chief.  Our  General  left  Greenwich  the  same  day,  and  ar 
rived  at  his  house  in  Roxbury  on  the  evening  of  the  19th, 
and  the  next  day  waited  upon  Gov.  Hancock  at  Boston, 
and  presented  the  dispatches  with  which  he  was  charged. 
The  new  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  were  to  convene  on 
the  last  Wednesday  of  the  month.  Gov.  Hancock  gave  the 
fullest  assurances  that  in  the  interim  the  Executive  would 
do  everything  in  his  power  for  the  immediate  relief  of  the 
army,  by  directing  the  several  contractors  of  provisions  in 
the  State  to  forward  all  in  their  power  with  the  utmost  ex 
pedition. 

21st. — Intelligence  was  received  at  Boston  that  the  State 


1  Henry  Champion,     Commissary  of  Issues,     an  extremely     efficient 
officer. 


267 

ship-of-war,  Protector,  of  28  guns,  commanded  by  Capt. 
Williams,  had  been  taken  and  carried  to  New  York. 

The  next  day  intelligence  was  received  that  on  the  13th, 
Col.  Greene,  of  the  Rhode  Island  regiment,  who  was  doing 
duty  on  the  lines  of  the  American  army,  was  surprised  by 
a  body  of  the  enemy's  horse,  supposed  to  be  about  150  dra 
goons,  and  that  the  Colonel,  Maj.  Flagg1,  and  two  Subal 
terns  and  27  men  were  killed  and  several  wounded.  Col. 
Greene  was  a  brave  and  intrepid  officer,  and  his  loss  was 
much  regretted.  The  Colonel  had  taken  post  above  and 
near  to  Croton  River,  at  a  place  where  the  river  was  ford- 
able,  to  prevent  the  enemy  passing  up  by  this  ford  to  ra 
vage  the  country.  He  had  practised  the  greatest  vigilance 
in  guarding  this,  ford  in  the  night  time,  taking  off  the 
guards  after  sunrise,  apprehending  that  the  enemy  would 
never  presume  to  cross  the  river  in  the  dayjtime;  but  the 
enemy,  having  learnt  his  mode  of  doing  duty,  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  13th  effected  his  overthrow,  by  crossing  the  ford 
soon  after  the  guards  had  come  off,  and  surrounding  their 
quarters  before  they  had  an  idea  of  any  enemy  being  near 
them.  In  this  situation,  the  utmost  exertion  could  not 
avail  them. 

23d. — Our  General  left  Roxbury  on  his  way  to  New 
Hampshire,  arrived  at  Exeter  on  the  evening  of  the  24th, 
and  delivered  to  the  Hon.  Mr.  Weare2  the  dispatches  ad 
dressed  to  him.  The  Legislature  of  New  Hampshire  was 
not  then  in  session.  The  next  day,  he  had  an  interview 
with  the  Honorable  President  and  the  Council  of  Safety, 
when  such  representations,  ( in  addition  to  the  requisitions 
of  the  Commander  in  Chief)  were  made  to  them,  as  the 
exigencies  of  the  case  required;  and  the  fullest  assurances 
were  received,  that  every  aid  in  the  power  of  the  State 
should  be  afforded. 

26th. — Our  General  left  Exeter  on  his  return,  and  on 


1  Ebenezer  Flagg  of  the  same     regiment,  the  1st  Rhode  Island.       It 
was  composed  of  negroes. 

2  Meshech  Weare,  President  of  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature. 


268 

the  27th  arrived  at  his  house  in  Roxbury.  On  the  29th  he 
again  waited  on  Gov.  Hancock,  and  requested  that  the  re 
quisitions  of  the  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  army  might 
be  predominant  in  all  the  public  objects. 

The  30th  was  the  General  Election  day  in  Massachusetts, 
and  it  appeared  that  his  Excellency  John  Hancock  was  re- 
elected  Governor,  who,  as  soon  as  the  two  Houses  were  or 
ganized,  laid  the  requisitions  of  Gen.  Washington  before 
them. 

June  2d. — Our  General  was  heard  before  a  Committee 
of  both  Houses  on  the  subject  of  his  mission.  The  zeal  and 
patriotism  of  the  several  Executives  and  Legislatures  of 
the  New  England  States,  to  relieve  and  amply  supply  the 
army  with  provisions,  were  so  conspicuous  on  this  occasion 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  say  which,  or  whether  any  of  them 
exceeded  the  other ;  each  was  for  making  every  exertion  in 
its  power ;  and,  to  insure  success  to  their  resolutions,  they 
all  fell  in  with  the  recommendation  of  the  Commander  in 
Chief,  and  appointed  committees  to  meet  in  Convention  to 
digest  and  systematize  the  business.  The  Committees  met 
accordingly  at  Providence,  in  Rhode  Island,  and  were  so 
fortunate  in  their  arrangements,  that  the  most  ample  sup 
plies  of  meat  were  afterwards  furnished  for  the  main 
army,  and  a  surplus  of  100  head  of  beef  cattle  weekly  sent 
on  after  Gen.  Washington  towards  Virginia,  until  he  or 
dered  a  discontinuance  of  that  supply,  as  will  appear  in  the 
sequel.  While  the  New  England  States  were  thus  intent 
in  supplying  meat  for  the  army,  the  State  of  New  York 
was  equally  assiduous  in  furnishing  flour  and  forage. 

4th. — Intelligence  was  received  by  a  vessel  from  the 
West  Indies,  that  the  Count  de  Grasse,  with  a  French  fleet 
of  upwards  of  20  sail  of  the  line,  had  arrived  in  that  quar 
ter.  The  same  day  there  was  a  confirmation  of  this  news, 
and  that  the  fleet,  with  troops  on  board,  was  seen  coming 
this  way. 

The  same  day  intelligence  was  received  that  there  had 
been  an  action  at  the  southward,  between  Gen.  Greene  and 


269 

the  British  army  in  that  quarter.  Gen.  Greene,  having 
reconnoitred  Camden,  did  not  think  it  expedient  to  storm 
the  enemy's  works,  but  retired  a  little  back,  with  a  view  to 
draw  the  enemy  out;  in  this  he  succeeded,  and  an  action1 
commenced.  The  Maryland  troops  being  attacked  under 
some  disadvantage,  an  attempt  was  made  to  change  their 
position;  this  was  unfortunately  taken  by  Gen.  Greene's 
army  for  a  retreat,  and  the  whole  army  retreated  accord 
ingly.  Gen.  Greene  had  17  men  killed;  his  retreat  was 
about  2  or  3  miles,  and  the  troops  were  in  high  spirits.  It 
is  always  a  dangerous  manoeuvre  to  change  a  position  in 
the  face  of  an  enemy;  but  necessity  sometimes  requires 
it. 

Gen.  Phillips2,  of  the  British  army,  had  died  in  Virginia 
of  a  fever. 

6th. — The  Continental  frigate  Alliance  arrived  in  Bos 
ton  harbor  from  France.  The  Alliance  had  taken  6  prizes; 
2  West  Indiamen,  2  sloops  of  war,  and  2  privateers.  In  the 
engagement  with  the  sloops  of  war,  both  of  which  engaged 
the  Alliance  in  a  calm,  Capt.  Barry  was  wounded  in  the 
shoulder  by  a  grape-shot ;  the  Captain  of  Marines,  and  8  or 
9  men  killed,  and  about  20  wounded. 

9th. — Orders  came  on  from  Gen.  Washington,  to  forward 
with  all  possible  dispatch  all  the  cannon,  mortars,  powder, 
shot,  shells,  and  other  military  stores  belonging  to  the 
United  States,  which  were  then  in  Massachusetts  and 
Rhode  Island,  and  also  requesting  the  loan  of  some  heavy 
artillery,  powder,  &c.  of  the  State.  The  most  spirited 
measures  were  taken  for  completing  the  Continental  bat 
talions,  and  raising  a  body  of  militia  to  be  in  readiness  to 
march  when  called  for. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Massachusetts,  in  their  session, 
at  this  time,  passed  resolutions  for  settling  with  the  troops 
of  their  line  to  the  last  of  the  year  1780,  making  good  the 
depreciation  of  their  pay,  &c. 

1  This  was  the  battle  of  Hobkirk's  Hill,  S.  C. 

2 Major     General     William   Phillips,   whose   haughty   correspondence 

with  General  Heath  fills  so  much  space  in  previous  pages. 


270 

21st. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  British  had 
formed  a  junction  of  their  principal  force  at  the  southward 
in  Virginia,  by  which  means  Gen.  Greene  wonld  deprive 
them  of  all  their  posts  in  South  Carolina ;  that  on  the  10th 
of  May,  Lord  Kawdon  was  compelled  to  evacuate  Camden 
with  precipitation,  leaving  behind  him  3  of  his  officers  and 
58  privates,  who  had  been  dangerously  wounded,  and  were 
unable  to  be  removed.  He  burnt  part  of  the  town,  and 
some  of  his  baggage.  On  the  llth  of  the  same  month,  the 
strong  post  of  Orangeburgh  surrendered  to  Gen.  Sumter; 
a  Colonel,  several  officers,  and  upwards  of  80  men  were 
made  prisoners.  On  the  12th,  the  garrison  of  Fort  Motte, 
consisting  of  7  officers,  12  non-commissioned  officers,  and 
165  privates,  surrendered  by  capitulation  to  Gen.  Marion. 
On  the  15th,  Fort  Granby  capitulated  to  Lieut.  Col.  Lee; 
1  Lieut.  Colonel,  2  Majors,  6  Captains,  6  Lieutenants,  3  En 
signs,  1  Surgeon,  2  Sergeant-Majors,  17  Sergeants,  9  Cor 
porals,  and  305  privates  surrendered;  large  quantities  of 
provisions  and  some  military  stores  were  taken  at  some  of 
the  posts.  At  the  same  time  the  posts  of  Augusta  and 
Ninety- Six  were  invested  by  Gen.  Pickens,  and  Gen.  Greene 
on  the  16th  had  determined  to  march  the  army  to  expedite 
their  reduction. 

23d. — Intelligence  was  received  that  some  time  before, 
the  barracks  at  Fort  Schuyler  had  taken  fire  and  were 
burnt  down ;  and  that  afterwards  the  fort  was  dismantled 
and  evacuated.  The  same  day  it  was  reported  that  the 
Spaniards  had  taken  Pensacola  from  the  British.  The 
marine  mortars,  and  a  number  of  heavy  iron  cannon,  1§ 
and  24  pounders,  were  removing  from  Boston  to  the  North 
Kiver,  New  York.  The  British  forces  in  Virginia,  after 
their  junction,  were  said  to  be  about  6000.  The  invalids, 
who  had  been  doing  duty  in  Boston,  received  orders  to 
march  to  West  Point,  where  the  whole  corps  was  to  be  col 
lected,  and  compose  a  part  of  the  garrison  of  that  post. 

28th. — His  Excellency  the  Commander  in  Chief  was 
pleased  to  communicate  to  our  General,  that  in  the  arrange- 


271 

ment  of  the  main  army  the  command  of  the  right  wing  had 
been  assigned  to  him. 

29th. — A  vessel  arrived  at  Boston  from  Cadiz,  with  a 
quantity  of  clothing  for  the  United  States.  This  vessel 
brought  an  account,  that  the  British  had  again  succoured 
the  garrison  of  Gibraltar,  but  that  the  Spaniards  con 
tinued  the  siege. 

30th. — His  most  Christian  Majesty's  frigate,  the  Sur- 
vilante1*  arrived  in  Boston  harbour  from  the  West  Indies ; 
on  her  passage  had  a  warm  engagement  with  a  British  ship- 
of-war,  when  some  damage  was  sustained  on  both  sides. 
This  frigate  brought  news  that  the  French  had  taken  the 
island  of  Tobago,  and  had  blocked  up  Admiral  Rodney's 
fleet  at  Barbadoes. 

July  4th  was  celebrated  at  Boston,  being  the  Anniver 
sary  of  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence. 

6th. — Information  was  received  that  Gen.  Washington 
had  ordered  the  American  troops  from  their  several  can 
tonments,  and  that  the  whole  had  assembled,  and  were  en 
camped  near  Peek's  Kill. 

Some  of  the  enemy's  cruisers  from  Penobscot  were  cruis 
ing  in  the  Bay,  where  they  took  several  vessels ;  one  within 
a  league  of  the  light-house. 

llth. — Intelligence  was  received  that  there  had  been  a 
skirmish  between  the  Americans  and  the  British,  between 
White  Plains  and  King's  Bridge,  but  no  particulars  were 
received. 

12th. — Our  General  set  out  from  his  house  in  Roxbury 
for  the  army. 

19th. — The  enemy's  shipping,  which  were  up  the  North 
River,  ran  down;  there  was  a  brisk  cannonade  at  Dobbs' 
Ferry. 

21st. — The  American  field  artillery,  which  had  for  some 
days  been  on  board  vessels  in  the  North  River,  proceeded 
downwards  to  the  nearest  landing  to  the  army. 

When  the  enemy's  shipping  passed  Dobbs'  Ferry,  on  the 

1  Surveillante- 


272 

19th,  a  box  of  powder  on  board  the  Savage  ship-of-war 
took  fire,  supposed  by  the  bursting  of  a  howitzer  shell,  on 
which  a  number  of  the  crew,  apprehending  that  the  ship 
would  blow  up,  jumped  overboard  into  the  river.  An 
American,  who  was  a  prisoner  on  board,  jumped  overboard 
at  the  same  time,  and  swam  on  shore,  relating  what  had 
happened;  he  also  reported  that  the  Savage  was  several 
times  hulled  by  our  shot,  and  must  have  suffered  consider- 
able  loss.  The  late  skirmish  near  King's  Bridge  was  oc 
casioned  by  the  American  army's  moving  down,  in  order  to 
gave  the  French  officers  a  view  of  the  British  outposts  near 
the  bridge.  A  number  of  Americans  were  killed  and  woun 
ded  by  long  shot  from  the  Jagers  of  the  enemy,  who  kept 
up  a  popping  fire  whenever  they  could  reach  our  troops. 

27th. — Our  General  arrived  at  the  army,  which  was  en 
camped  at  Phillipsburg,  in  two  lines ;  the  park  of  artillery 
in  the  centre  of  the  second  line.  Accounts  had  been  re 
ceived  from  the  southward  that  the  enemy  had  no  footing 
in  Georgia,  except  Savannah,  nor  in  South  Carolina,  ex 
cept  at  Charleston.  The  position  which  the  American 
army  now  occupied  was  between  the  lines  the  preceding 
campaigns;  consequently  the  roads  and  commons,  as  well 
as  the  fields  and  pastures,  were  covered  with  grass;  while 
the  many  deserted  houses  and  ruined  fences  depicted  the 
horrid  devastations  of  war.  The  French  army,  under  Gen, 
Rochambeau,  was  encamped  at  a  small  distance,  on  the  left 
of  the  Americans,  in  one  line. 

29th. — A  forage  was  made  towards  Phillips's,  conducted 
by  Col.  Scammell.  It  was  said  that  some  of  the  British 
troops  had  returned  from  the  southward  to  New  York ;  and 
that  those  in  Virginia  were  collected  at  Portsmouth. 

August. — On  the  night  of  the  3d,  about  11  o'clock,  the 
British  and  American  guard-boats  met  in  the  river,  near 
Dobbs'  Ferry,  when  a  considerable  firing  ensued;  we  had 
one  man  badly  wounded,  who  died  soon  after.  The  damage 
sustained  by  the  enemy  was  not  known. 

. — The  Commander  in  Chief,  attended  by  a  number  of 


273 

the  General  Officers,  reconnoitred  towards  King's  Bridge, 
covered  by  strong  detachments  of  cavalry  and  infantry. 
Three  ships  and  a  galley  lay  in  the  river  between  Fort 
Washington  and  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek.  The  enemy  did 
not  make  any  movements.  The  morning  of  the  7th,  about 
2  o'clock,  the  army  was  awakened  by  the  firing  of  cannon 
at  Dobbs'  Ferry;  it  appeared  that  2  of  the  enemy's  gun 
boats  had  come  up  as  high  as  the  ferry,  probably  to  endea 
vour  to  seize  some  vessels  or  boats;  on  finding  that  they 
were  discovered,  they  fired  four  cannon,  but  to  no  effect. 
Four  cannon  were  discharged  at  the  boats  from  the  bat 
tery,  on  which  they  went  down  the  river.  Two  days  before, 
Delancey's  corps  ventured  as  far  above  King's  Bridge  as 
Phillips's. 

News  was  received  that  the  great  French  Financier, 
Necker,  had  resigned,  and  that  Monsieur  Fleury  had  been 
appointed  in  his  room. 

Capt.  Saltonstall,1  formerly  of  the  frigate  Warren,  who 
was  dismissed  the  service  on  account  of  his  conduct  in  the 
Penobscot  expedition,  about  this  time  behaved  most  gal 
lantly  in  a  privateer,  on  a  cruise  against  the  enemy. 

The  American  army  at  this  time  continued  in  the  same 
position  at  Phillipsburg.  The  Connecticut  and  Khodelsland 
lines,  and  6  regiments  of  the  Massachusetts  line,  composed 
the  front  line ;  the  New  Hampshire  line,  four  regiments  of 
Massachusetts,  Crane's  and  -Lamb's  regiments  of  artillery, 
with  the  sappers  and  miners,  the  second  line;  the  right 
wing  commanded  by  Maj.  Gen.  Heath,  the  left  wing  by 
Maj.  Gen.  Lord  Stirling;  the  advance  of  the  American 
army  on  a  height  a  little  advanced  of  Dobbs'  Ferry,  under 
the  command  of  Col.  Scammell,  and  Sheldon's  dragoons 
near  Dobbs'  Ferry.  The  French  army  in  one  line  on  the 
left  of  the  Americans,  with  their  legion  under  the  Duke  de 
Lauzun,  at  White  Plains.  Gen.  Waterbury2,  with  the  mi- 

1  Dudley  Saltonstall,  John  Adams'     protege,      and  John  Paul  Jones' 
pet  aversion. 

2  David  Waterbery  of  Connecticut. 


274 

litia  under  his  command,  towards  New  Rochelle.  The 
camps  at  this  time  swarmed  with  flies,  which  were  very 
troublesome. 

llth. — Robert  Morris,  Esq.  the  American  Financier,  and 
Richard  Peters,  Esq.  one  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of 
War,  visited  the  army.  The  same  day,  the  advance  of  the 
army  took  a  position  a  little  more  to  the  northward,  and 
the  dragoons  were  added  to  Col.  Scammell's  command.  A 
fleet  arrived  at  New  York  from  England;  they  brought 
over  between  2  and  3000  Hessian  recruits. 

14th. — Col.  Hazen's  and  Col.  Van  Schaick's  regiments 
joined  the  army.  A  French  frigate  arrived  about  this  time 
at  Rhode  Island,  supposed  to  have  brought  news  of  the  ap 
proach  of  the  Count  de  Grasse.  A  few  nights  before,  Gen. 
Schuyler  came  very  near  being  taken  and  carried  off  from 
his  house  in  Albany. 

In  the  general  orders  of  the  15th,  the  army  was  directed 
to  hold  itself  in  the  most  perfect  readiness  to  march  on  the 
shortest  notice. 

16th. — It  was  whispered  that  the  Count  de  Grasse,  with 
28  sail  of  the  line,  besides  frigates,  with  a  number  of  land 
forces  on  board,  might  soon  be  expected  on  our  coast,  and 
these,  with  the  squadron  under  the  command  of  the  Che 
valier  de  Barras,  would  make  a  fleet  of  36  sail  of  the  line, 
a  force  probably  superior  to  any  the  British  could  assemble 
in  these  seas. 

Under  prospects  so  flattering,  the  Commander  in  Chief 
determined  to  strike  the  enemy  a  capital  blow  in  some 
quarter.  To  strike  at  their  very  root  in  New  York,  was  a 
most  desirable  object ;  but  the  situation  of  New  York  with 
Long  Island,  and  Staten  Island  and  the  adjacent  country, 
was  such  as  would  require  a  very  large  army  to  effect  a 
complete  investiture,  and  give  a  proper  security  against 
the  sallies  of  the  enemy,  which,  from  situation,  might  be 
easily  and  frequently  made — that  such  an  army  must  be 
composed,  in  a  very  considerable  degree,  of  militia,  to 
whom  the  continuing  long  in  camp  had  often  been  found 


275 

disagreeable,  and  the  French  were  not  without  apprehen 
sions  that  if  their  fleet  entered  the  harbour  of  New  York, 
and  became  warmly  engaged  with  the  British  ships  and 
batteries,  in  the  course  of  those  manoeuvres  which  it  might 
be  necessary  to  make,  some  of  their  heavy  ships,  through 
the  want  of  a  competent  knowledge  of  all  parts  of  the  bay, 
might  get  aground  or  be  damaged;  while  all  these  incon 
veniences  would  be  avoided  in  case  Lord  Cornwallis,  with 
the  British  army  in  Virginia,  were  made  the  object,  and 
his  capture  would  be  almost  certain,  while  the  American 
main  army  might  be  left  in  sufficient  strength  to  act  on  the 
defensive  against  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  effectually  cover 
the  important  posts  in  the  Highlands  of  New  York. 

17th. — Gen.  Washington  was  pleased  to  communicate 
to  our  General,  (in  confidence)  his  intentions,  at  the  same 
time  intimating  to  him  that  he  should  give  him  the  com 
mand  of  the  main  army  during  his  absence.  The  whole  of 
the  French  army,  with  the  two  regiments  of  New  Jersey, 
first  regiment  of  New  York,  Col.  Hazen's  regiment,  Col. 
Olney's  regiment  of  Rhode  Island,  Col.  Lamb's  regiment 
of  artillery,  and  the  light  troops  under  the  command  of 
Col.  Scammell,  were  detached  for  the  expedition  against 
Lord  Cornwallis,  and  the  army  under  his  command,  at 
Yorktown,  in  Virginia. 

18th. — Some  of  the  corps  began  to  move  towards  the 
ferries.  The  next  day,  the  Commander  in  Chief  was  pleased 
to  honour  our  General  with  the  following : 

"To  Major  General  HEATH, 
SIR, 

You  are  to  take  command  of  all  the  troops  remaining 
in  this  department,  consisting  of  the  two  regiments  of  New 
Hampshire,  ten  of  Massachusetts,  and  five  of  Connecticut 
infantry,  the  corps  of  invalids,  Sheldon's  legion,  the  3d 
regiment  of  artillery,  together  with  all  such  State  troops 
and  militia  as  are  retained  in  service  of  those  which  would 
have  been  under  my  own  command. 


276 

The  security  of  West  Point,  and  the  posts  in  the  High 
lands,  is  to  be  considered  as  the  first  objects  of  your  atten 
tion;  in  order  to  effect  this,  you  will  make  such  disposi 
tions  as  in  your  judgment  the  circumstances  shall  from 
time  to  time  require,  taking  care  to  have  as  large  a  supply 
of  salted  provisions  as  possible,  constantly  on  hand;  to 
have  the  fortifications,  works,  and  magazines  repaired  and 
perfected  as  far  as  may  be;  to  have  the  garrison  at  least, 
in  all  cases,  kept  up  to  its  perfect  strength ;  to  have  the  min 
utes,  plans  and  arrangements,  for  the  defence  and  support 
of  this  important  post  perfectly  understood  and  vigorously 
executed  in  case  of  any  attempt  against  it.  Ample  maga 
zines  of  wood  and  forage  are  to  be  laid  in,  against  the  ap 
proaching  winter ;  the  former  should  be  cut  on  the  margin 
of  the  river,  and  transported  to  the  garrison  by  water ;  the 
latter  ought  to  be  collected  from  the  country  below  the 
lines,  in  the  greatest  quantities  possible,  and  deposited  in 
such  places  as  you  shall  judge  proper. 

The  force  now  put  under  your  orders,  it  is  presumed, 
will  be  sufficient  for  all  the  purposes  above  mentioned,  as 
well  as  to  yield  a  very  considerable  protection  and  cover  to 
the  country,  without  hazarding  the  safety  of  the  posts  in 
the  Highlands;  this  is  to  be  esteemed  as  it  respects  the 
friendly  inhabitants  and  resources  of  the  country,  an  ex 
tremely  interesting  object;  but  when  compared  with  the 
former,  of  a  secondary  nature.  The  protection  of  the  north 
ern  and  western  frontier  of  the  State  of  New  York,  as  well 
as  those  parts  of  that  and  other  States  most  contiguous 
and  exposed  to  the  ravages  and  depredations  of  the  enemy, 
will  claim  your  attention ;  but  as  the  contingencies  which 
are  to  be  expected  in  the  course  of  this  campaign,  may  be 
so  various,  unforeseen,  and  almost  infinite,  that  no  partic 
ular  line  of  conduct  can  be  prescribed  for  them — upon  all 
such  occasions  you  will  be  governed  by  your  own  prudence 
and  discretion,  on  which  the  fullest  confidence  is  placed. 

Although  your  general  rule  of  conduct  will  be  to  act  on 
the  defensive  only,  yet  it  is  not  meant  to  prohibit  you  from 


277 

striking  a  blow  at  the  enemy's  posts  or  detachments  should 
a  fair  opportunity  present  itself.  The  most  eligible  posi 
tion  for  your  army,  in  my  opinion,  will  be  above  (that  is, 
on  the  north  side)  of  the  Croton,  as  well  as  for  the  purpose 
of  supporting  the  garrison  of  West  Point,  annoying  the 
enemy  and  covering  the  country,  as  for  the  security  and 
repose  of  your  own  troops. 

Waterbury's  brigade  (which  may  be  posted  towards  the 
Sound),  Sheldon's  corps,  the  State  troops  of  New  York, 
and  other  light  parties  may  occasionally  be  made  use  of  to 
hold  the  enemy  in  check,  and  carry  on  the  petit-guerre  with 
them ;  but  I  would  recommend  keeping  your  force  as  much 
collected  and  compact  as  the  nature  of  the  service  will 
admit,  doing  duty  by  corps  instead  of  detachments,  when 
ever  it  is  practicable ;  and  above  all  exerting  yourself  most 
strenuously  and  assiduously,  while  the  troops  are  in  camp 
of  repose,  to  make  them  perfect  in  their  exercise  and  man 
oeuvres,  and  to  establish  the  most  perfect  system  of  disci 
pline  and  duty.  The  good  of  the  service  and  emulation  of 
corps  will,  I  am  persuaded,  prompt  the  officers  and  men 
to  devote  their  whole  time  and  attention  to  the  pleasing 
and  honourable  task  of  becoming  masters  of  their  profes 
sion.  The  uncertainty  which  the  present  movement  of  the 
army  will  probably  occasion  with  the  enemy,  ought 
to  be  increased  by  every  means  in  your  power,  and  the  de 
ception  kept  up  as  long  as  possible.  It  will  not  be  exped 
ient  to  prevent  the  militia,  which  were  ordered,  from  com 
ing  in,  until  the  arrival  of  the  Count  de  Grasse,  or  some 
thing  definite  and  certain  is  known  from  the  southward; 
and  even  these  circumstances  may,  (but  of  this  you  will  be 
advised)  render  it  adviseable  to  keep  the  enemy  at  New 
York  in  check — prevent  their  detaching  to  reinforce  their 
southern  army,  or  to  harass  the  inhabitants  on  the  sea- 
coasts. 

The  redoubt  on  the  east  side  of  Dobbs'  Perry  is  to  be  dis 
mantled  and  demolished;  the  platforms  to  be  taken  up, 
and  transported  up  the  river,  if  it  can  be  conveniently  done. 


278 

The  block-house  on  the  other  side  to  be  maintained,  or 
evacuated  and  destroyed  as  you  shall  judge  proper.  The 
water-guards  and  other  precautions  to  prevent  surprise, 
you  will  be  pleased  to  take  into  your  consideration,  and 
regulate  in  such  a  manner  as  you  shall  judge  most  ex 
pedient.  You  will  be  pleased  to  keep  me  regularly 
advised  of  every  important  event  which  shall  take  place 
in  your  departments. 

Given  under  my  hand  at  headquarters,  near  Dobbs' 
Ferry,  this  19th  day  of  August,  1781. 

(Signed)     GEO.  WASHINGTON. 

P.  S.— By  the  act  of  Congress  of  the  3d  of  Oct.,  1780,  a 
return  is  to  be  made  to  them  annually,  on  or  before  Ihe 
first  of  September,  of  the  troops  belonging  to  the  several 
States,  that  requisitions  may  be  made  for  completing  the 
same.  This  you  will  please  to  have  done  by  the  troops 
under  your  command. 

The  preservation  of  the  boats  is  a  matter  of  very  great 
importance,  to  which  you  will  attend.  Let  all  the  new 
boats,  and  such  others  as  are  not  absolutely  necessary, 
and  allotted  to  the  service  of  the  garrison,  be  hauled  up, 
and  put  under  the  care  of  a  guard,  so  that  the  person  to 
whom  they  are  committed  shall  be  accountable  for  every 
boat. 

The  abuses  committed  by  people  belonging  to  commis 
sioned  whale-boats  on  Long  Island  ought  to  be  inquired 
into  and  suppressed,  especially  as  Congress  have  ordered 
those  commissions  to  be  revoked. 

G.  W." 

19th. — About  noon,  his  Excellency  Gen.  Washington  left 
the  army,  setting  his  face  towards  his  native  State,  in  full 
confidence,  to  use  his  own  words,  "with  a  common  bless 
ing"  of  capturing  Lord  Cornwallis  and  his  army;  while 
our  General  was  left  to  watch  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and 
guard  against  those  attempts  which  it  was  probable  he 
would  make  to  succour  Cornwallis  direct,  or  by  making 


279 

such  other  movements  as  might  tend  to  induce  Gen.  Wash 
ington  to  give  up  his  object,  or  avail  himself  of  some  im 
portant  posts  in  his  absence.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  con 
sequently  on  the  rack,  to  devise  something  which  should 
effect  his  purpose;  a  stroke  at  the  posts  in  the  Highlands, 
Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  Albany  and  Philadelphia,  was 
contemplated.  Against  all  this  had  our  General  to  guard 
— let  impartiality  judge,  and  candour  decide  on  his  con 
duct. 

On  the  morning  of  the  same  day,  the  French  army 
inarched  from  their  encampment  towards  King's  Ferry, 
where  they  were  to  cross  the  river.  The  American  park  of 
artillery,  Col.  Olney's  regiment,  and  the  New  York  regi 
ment  decamped  and  moved  the  same  way. 

20th. — A  little  after  noon,  our  General  ordered  off  the 
baggage  to  the  strong  ground  near  Young's,  which  at  about 
6  o'clock  was  followed  by  the  army,  marching  by  the  left 
in  one  column,  which  took  a  strong  position  during  the 
night.  The  pickets  after  dusk  were  drawn  back  a  little  to 
the  northward  of  the  former  encampment.  The  advanced 
parties  under  Maj.  Scott1  were  ordered  to  join  their  re 
spective  regiments,  and  Sheldon's  horse  to  patrol  in  the 
front. 

2lst.— Col.  Putnam,  with  320  infantry,  Col.  Sheldon's 
horse,  and  two  companies  of  the  New  York  levies,  were 
ordered  to  form  an  advance  for  the  army,  and  remain  at 
or  near  their  present  ground.  About  12  o'clock  at  noon, 
the  army  took  up  its  line  of  march,  and  halted  at  night  on 
the  lower  parts  of  North  Castle.  Two  regiments  had  been 
detached  on  the  march  to  Sing-Sing  church,  to  cover  a 
quantity  of  baggage  belonging  to  the  French  army,  assist 
in  removing  it,  &c.  and  a  detachment  was  sent  to  the  New 
Bridge,  to  secure  a  quantity  of  flour  lodged  near  that  place. 

22d. — The  army  marched  from  North  Castle,  and  en 
camped  at  Crom  Pond ;  all  the  French  stores  at  Tarrytown 
and  Sing-Sing  had  been  secured. 


280 

23d. — The  army  marched  from  Crom  Pond,  and  took  a 
strong  position  at  Peek's  Kill;  the  first  line  encamping 
before  the  village,  and  the  second  behind  it.  After  the 
troops  were  encamped,  80  wagons  were  sent  off  to  assist 
in  forwarding  the  stores  of  the  army  with  Gen.  Wash 
ington.  Intelligence  was  received  that  a  frigate  and  store- 
ship  had  arrived  at  Boston  from  France,  with  military 
stores,  &c.  for  the  United  States. 

24th. — The  French  troops  had  not  all  passed  the  Ferry 
— 150  Americans  were  sent  to  aid  them,  and  at  evening  150 
more.  Intelligence  was  received  that  a  large  French  fleet 
had  been  seen  standing  for  the  continent. 

26th. — The  whole  of  the  French  army  had  crossed  the 
river.  Gen.  Washington  was  as  far  as  Kamapo  in  the  fore 
noon.  Six  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy,  and  three 
prisoners  of  war  belonging  to  Delancey's  corps  were  sent 
up;  they  had  taken  and  were  driving  off  about  30  sheep, 
which  were  recovered. 

27th. — Dispatches  were  sent  off  to  Gov.  Trumbull  at 
Hartford,  and  Gov.  Hancock  at  Boston.  A  heavy  cannon 
ade  was  heard  towards  New  York,  from  early  in  the  morn 
ing  till  two  in  the  afternoon,  supposed  to  be  off  at  sea. 

30th. — At  evening  a  detachment  consisting  of  250  men, 
marched  towards  the  NCAV  Bridge,  where  wagons  were  col 
lected  for  the  grand  forage,  which  was  to  be  covered  by 
this  detachment  and  the  troops  on  the  lines — the  whole 
under  the  command  of  Col.  Greaton.  By  the  last  accounts 
Gen.  Washington  was  as  far  as  Chatham,  in  the  Jersies. 

31st. — Colonel  Laurens  passed  the  army  on  his  way  from 
Boston  to  Philadelphia;  he  had  brought  from  France  a 
large  sum  in  specie  for  the  United  States.  Col.  Laurens 
reported  the  friendly  disposition  of  the  European  powers 
towards  the  United  States;  that  Great  Britain  continued 
to  stand  without  a  single  ally,  nor  could  she  obtain  one  in 
the  war  in  which  she  was  engaged. 

September  1st. — The  foragers  returned  with  42  loads  of 
hay.  A  Hessian  rifleman  came  in  with  his  rifle. 


281 

The  same  day  letters  were  received  from  Gen.  Washing 
ton,  dated  at  Trenton,  the  29th  ult.  mentioning  that  a 
British  fleet  of  15  sail  of  the  line  had  arrived  at  Sandy 
Hook  from  the  West  Indies.  The  same  evening,  about  40 
Indians,  from  the  Oneida  and  other  neighboring  tribes, 
came  to  the  army,  on  their  way  after  Generals  Washington 
and  Rochambeau. 

2d. — Intelligence  was  received  from  New  York  that  a 
fleet,  under  the  command  of  Admiral  Sir  Samuel  Hood, 
had  arrived  at  Sandy  Hook  from  the  West  Indies,  con 
sisting  of  14  sail  of  the  line,  three  44  gun  ships,  one  of  28, 
sloop  and  fire-ship.  The  ships  of  the  line  were,  Bar- 
fleur,  of  90  guns,  Princess,  Invincible,  Alcide,  Alfred, 
Ajax,  Resolution,  Centaur,  Intrepid,  Terrible,  Montague, 

Shrewsbury,  Belliqueax,  and ,  74  guns  each.  It  was 

said  that  the  first  battalion  of  Royals,  13th  and  69th  Brit 
ish  regiments  came  in  the  fleet. 

3d. — Intelligence  was  received,  that  General  Washing 
ton  was  at  Philadelphia  the  preceding  Friday,  and  that  his 
army  was  to  march  from  Trenton,  as  yesterday. 

4th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  New  York  that  the 
British  fleet  had  sailed  to  counteract  the  French.  The 
day  before,  the  southern  post-rider,  with  the  mail,  was 
stopped  near  Pompton  in  the  Jersies,  and  the  mail  carried 
off ;  the  horse  was  left  in  the  road.  The  same  day  a  fleet  of 
26  sail,  some  of  which  were  large,  passed  Stamford  to  the 
eastward. 

6th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  New  York  that  an 
embargo  was  laid  on  the  shipping  there  and  that  6  British 
transports  had  been  taken  by  the  French.  The  enemy's 
shipping  in  the  North  River  above  Fort  Washington  had 
all  gone  down. 

7th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  New  York,  that  the 
Count  de  Grasse  had  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  on  the  31st 
ultimo ;  that  a  64  gun  ship  and  a  frigate  had  entered  York 
River ;  that  Lord  Cornwallis  was  preparing  for  a  vigorous 
defence;  and  that  6  sail  of  victuallers  had  been  taken  by 


282 

Admiral  Barras.  A  heavy  cannonade  was  heard  the  day 
before  towards  the  Hook.  The  same  day  there  was  much 
passing  between  the  city  and  Fort  Washington,  which  oc 
casioned  a  great  rising  of  dust,  visible  at  a  great  distance ; 
and  there  was  rumbling  of  carriages  in  the  night.  Mr. 
Rivington,  in  his  paper,  observed  the  present  to  be  the  most 
interesting  and  critical  era  of  the  war.  The  same  evening 
a  detachment  marched  from  our  army  for  a  grand  forage. 

8th. — Two  companies  of  Col.  WeissenfelV  regiment 
were  ordered  to  Albany  to  cover  that  city  against  the  de 
signs  of  the  enemy.  The  same  evening,  our  General  re 
ceived  a  letter  from  Gen.  Washington,  dated  at  the  Head 
of  Elk  the  preceding  day,  in  which  he  observes,  "I  have  it 
now  in  my  power  to  congratulate  you  on  the  arrival  of 
Count  de  Grasse  with  28  ships  of  the  line  and  some  frigates, 
in  the  Chesapeake,  with  a  body  of  land  forces  on  board, 
which  he  debarked  immediately  on  his  arrival.  On  his  pas 
sage,  he  took  Lord  Eawdon,  who  was  bound  from  Charles 
ton  to  England.  This  arrival,  with  Col.  Laurens,  from 
France,  must  fill  the  United  States  with  the  most  happy 
prospects  and  expectations."  *  *  *  I  am  thus  far  on 
my  way  to  Virginia  with  the  troops  under  my  command; 
we  are  now  embarking  the  heavy  baggage,  stores,  and  some 
of  the  troops."  *  *  *  I  must  beg  of  you  not  to  forget 
sending  the  quantity  of  beef  I  requested,  as  I  must  at  pres 
ent  altogether  depend  on  that  supply." 

The  same  day  intelligence  was  received  that  the  enemy's 
fleet,  which  had  sailed  up  the  Sound  on  the  4th,  had  made 
a  descent  on  New  London.  At  evening,  Maj.  Tallmadge, 
with  20  cavalry  and  200  infantry,  was  ordered  to  move  inv 
mediately  towards  the  Sound.  The  preceding  day,  about 
30  sail  of  the  enemy's  vessels  passed  the  Sound  towards 
New  York. 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th  the  foragers  returned  with  28 
loads  of  hay. 

10th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  Governor  Trum- 

1  Lieut.-Col.  Frederick  Weissenfels,  4th    N.  Y. 


283 

bull,  that  the  enemy  had  made  a  descent  on  New  London, 
on  the  evening  of  the  6th  with  about  2000  infantry  and  300 
light  horse.  Their  fleet  consisted  of  about  40  sail  of  ships- 
of-war  and  transports;  they  plundered  the  inhabitants  of 
property  to  a  large  amount,  and  burnt  a  great  part  of  the 
town.  The  militia  behaved  very  gallantly,  and  a  number 
of  very  valuable  citizens  were  killed;  among  others,  Col. 
Ledyard,  Captains  Saltonstall  and  Kichards1.  The  enemy, 
in  three  assaults  on  the  fort  on  Groton  side  of  the  river, 
were  repulsed,  but  on  the  fourth  attempt  carried  it.  The 
militia  collecting  in  greater  numbers,  with  some  pieces  of 
artillery,  the  enemy  retreated  on  board  their  shipping. 
Part  of  the  American  shipping  in  the  harbour  were  scut 
tled  and  some  were  run  up  the  river.  In  Governor  Trum- 
bulFs  letter,  the  enemy  were  charged  with  behaving  in  a 
wanton  and  barbarous  manner ;  and  that  of  between  70  and 
80  men  who  were  killed,  three  only  were  killed  before  the 
enemy  entered  the  fort,  and  the  garrison  had  submitted; 
that  on  Col.  Ledyard's  delivering  his  sword  reversed  to  the 
commanding  officer  who  entered  the  fort,  the  officer  im 
mediately  plunged  it  in  the  Colonel's  body,  on  which  sev 
eral  soldiers  bayoneted  him.  It  is  also  asserted,  that  upon 
the  foregoing  taking  place,  an  American  officer,  who  stood 
near  to  Col.  Ledyard,  instantly  stabbed  the  British  officer 
stabbed  the  Colonel;  on  which,  the  British  indiscrim 
inately  bayoneted  a  great  number  of  Americans. 

This  expedition  was  commanded  by  Arnold.  The  Brit 
ish  loss  was  very  considerable  in  killed  and  wounded; 
among  the  former  was  Major  Montgomery.  Arnold  him 
self  continued  on  the  New  London  side,  and  while  his 
troops  were  plundering  and  burning,  was  said  to  have  been 
at  a  house  where  he  was  treated  very  politely;  that  while 
he  was  sitting  with  the  gentleman2  regaling  himself,  the 

1  Peter  Richards  was  a  captain  of  Massachusetts  militia. 

2  This  citizen  was  Christopher  Christophers.  His  house,     which    is     still 
standing,  is  known  as  the  Vinegar  House,  from  the  fact  that  he  used  the 
contents  of  a  tank  of  vinegar  in  extinguishing  the  burning    house  of    a 
neighbor,  on  that  day. 


284 

latter  observed  that  he  hoped  his  house  and  property  would 
be  safe;  he  was  answered  that  while  he  (Arnold)  was  there 
it  would  not  be  touched;  but  the  house,  except  the  room  in 
which  they  were,  was  soon  plundered,  and  found  to  be  on 
fire.  During  the  plunder  of  the  town,  the  British  (as  is  al 
ways  the  case  in  a  plunder)  were  in  great  confusion,  set 
ting  their  arms  against  trees  and  fences,  while  they  were 
collecting  and  carrying  off  their  plunder ;  in  this  situation 
they  might  have  been  easily  defeated;  nor  would  it  have 
been  the  first  time  that  an  army  in  possession  of  victory 
lost  it  in  this  way ;  hence,  by  the  articles  of  war,  "If  any  of 
ficer  or  soldier  shall  leave  his  post  or  colours  to  go  in  search 
of  plunder,  he  is  liable  to  suffer  death  for  the  offence." 

It  is  not  meant  to  exculpate  or  to  aggravate  the  conduct 
of  the  enemy  on  this  occasion — but  two  things  are  to  be  re 
membered  :  first,  that  in  almost  all  cases  the  slaughter  does 
but  begin  when  the  vanquished  give  way;  and  it  has  been 
said,  that  if  this  was  fully  considered,  troops  would  never 
turn  their  backs,  if  it  were  possible  to  face  the  enemy :  Sec 
ondly,  in  all  attacks  by  assault,  the  assailants,  between  the 
feelings  of  danger  on  the  one  hand,  and  resolutions  to  over 
come  it  on  the  other,  have  their  minds  worked  up  almost  to 
a  point  of  fury  and  madness,  which  those  who  are  assailed, 
from  a  confidence  in  their  works,  do  not  feel ;  and  that  con 
sequently  when  a  place  is  carried,  and  the  assailed  submit, 
the  assailants  cannot  simultaneously  curb  their  fury  to  rea 
son,  and  in  this  interval  many  are  slain  in  a  way  which 
cool  bystanders  would  call  wanton  and  barbarous,  and 
even  the  perpetrators  themselves,  when  their  rage  subsided 
would  condemn;  but  while  the  human  passions  remain  as 
they  now  are,  there  is  scarcely  a  remedy. 

llth. — Arnold's  fleet  was  still  in  the  Sound,  and  further 
depredations  were  expected;  they  were  this  morning  at 
Killingsworth,  and  about  noon  50  sail  of  vessels  came  to 
anchor  between  Norwalk  and  Stamford.  Major  Tallmadge, 
who  was  returning,  upon  supposition  that  the  enemy  had 
returned  to  New  York,  was  ordered  back  immediately.  Maj. 


285 


Knapp1  was  detached  with  100  men  to  reinforce  Col.  Put- 
nani  on  the  lines ;  and  Brig.  Gen.  Huntington,  with  the  first 
Connecticut  brigade  and  a  detachment  of  artillery  was 
ordered  to  march  towards  the  Sound.  The  same  day  the 
army  moved  from  its  encampment  at  Peek's  Kill  and  took 
a  very  strong  position  on  Bald  Hill,  where  it  encamped  in 
one  line,  the  second  line  forming  in  the  centre  of  the  first; 
and  the  8th  Massachusetts  regiment  was  ordered  to  march 
from  the  army,  and  reinforce  the  garrison  at  West  Point. 

13th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  on  the  enemy's 
anchoring  off  Stamford,  Maj.  Tallmadge  advanced  towards 
the  town;  Gen.  Huntington  had  advanced  as  far  as  Bed 
ford;  and  that  the  preceding  morning  the  enemy's  fleet 
came  to  sail  and  stood  principally  to  the  westward ;  some  of 
the  fleet  at  the  same  time  standing  over  to  Huntington  Bay, 
Long  Island.  Major  Tallmadge  was  to  remain  at  or  near 
Canaan  for  the  protection  of  the  inhabitants;  Gen.  Hun- 
tiugton  to  return  to  the  army. 

The  Hessian  recruits,  which  had  a  little  time  before  ar 
rived  at  New  York,  were  very  sickly,  and  many  died.  The 
fleet  which  had  arrived  at  New  York  were  in  bad  condi 
tion.  The  Prudente  and  Robuste  lay  at  the  ship-yard ;  the 
Roebuck  had  been  sent  to  Halifax  to  repair,  and  had  not 
returned.  Mr.  Rivington,  in  his  paper,  talked  of  another 
fleet  coming  out,  under  Admiral  IMgby. 

15th. — The  enemy  had  still  a  number  of  troops  on  board 
their  transports  in  the  harbour.  The  same  day  intelligence 
was  received  from  Canada,  that  the  enemy  were  preparing 
a  number  of  canoes  and  small  batteaux  at  St.  John's,  bak 
ing  hard  bread  at  Montreal  and  forwarding  it  to  St. 
John's,  &c.  The  Cork  fleet  had  arrived  at  Quebec.  The 
same  day  about  40  sail  of  the  enemy's  vessels  passed  in  the 
Sound  to  the  eastward. 

17th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  a  brigade  of  troops 
had  lately  come  to  St.  John's,  from  whence  an  incursion 
on  our  northern  frontier  might  be  expected ;  on  which  the 

1  Moses  Knapp,  10th  Massachusetts.  (Died  Nov.  7,  1809.) 


286 

whole  of  Weissenfels'  regiment  was  ordered  for  Albany 
immediately;  notice  was  also  given  to  the  eastern  Gover 
nors,  and  the  Brigadiers  commanding  the  militia  of  the 
counties  of  Hampshire  and  Berkshire,  in  Massachusetts, 
requested  to  lend  their  aid,  if  it  should  be  found  necessary. 

18th. — A  deserter  came  in  from  New  York;  he  reported 
that  when  he  left  the  city  about  20  sail  of  vessels  were  fall 
ing  down  to  the  Hook,  said  to  have  troops  on  board. 

19th. — The  2d  and  5th  Massachusetts  regiments  were 
ordered  to  go  into  garrison  at  West  Point,  and  the  7th  reg 
iment  to  join  the  army;  it  had  before  been  in  garrison.  The 
same  day,  intelligence  was  received  from  New  York,  that 
there  had  been  a  naval  engagement  off  the  Chesapeake  be 
tween  19  sail  of  British  men-of-war,  and  24  French  ships 
of  the  line :  the  story  was  so  badly  told  in  New  York,  that 
there  was  good  grounds  to  conclude  that  the  British  had 
received  a  severe  drubbing.  On  the  17th,  when  a  packet 
arrived  at  New  York,  3000  people  were  said  to  be  waiting 
on  the  wharves  to  learn  the  news,  but  not  a  word  transpired 
nor  did  the  countenance  of  the  officer  who  landed  appear 
to  beam  with  smiles  of  fortune.  The  enemy  had  taken  a 
number  of  heavy  cannon  from  the  grand  battery,  which 
were  put  on  board  ship.  The  troops  still  remained  on  board 
the  transports  and  had  fallen  down  to  the  Hook.  A  mortal 
sickness  prevailed  in  Delancey's  corps  at  Morrisania,  which 
was  much  reduced  in  its  numbers. 

22d. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  British  fleet  had 
been  pretty  severely  handled  by  the  French,  and  some  of 
the  ships  were  considerably  damaged ;  that  the  inhabitants 
were  in  great  consternation  in  New  York ;  many  were  pack 
ing  up  their  goods;  that  Arnold's  loss  at  New  London,  in 
both  killed  and  wounded  was  very  considerable;  that  the 
38th,  47th  and  50th  regiments  were  on  that  expedition,  and 
then  considered  as  unfit  for  duty.  Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
was  said  to  be  embarked  with  the  troops,  report  said  from 
7  to  8  thousand;  among  them  the  British  and  Hessian 
grenadiers,  light  infantry,  42d  regiment,  &c. 

1  William  Scott,  1st  N.  H. 


287 

24th. — A  grand  forage  was  made  below  the  lines.  The 
British  fleet  returned  to  the  Hook  on  the  20th.  The  Pru- 
clente  of  64  guns,  had  gone  down  in  a  miserable  condition 
to  join  the  fleet;  and  the  Robuste  of  74  guns  had  hauled 
down  nearly  opposite  to  the  city.  The  heavy  cannon  had 
been  taken  from  Fort  Washington  as  well  as  the  grand  bat 
tery.  * 

25th. — Forty-six  loads  of  forage  were  brought  off  from 
below  the  lines.  Mr.  Kivington  published  another  account 
of  the  naval  engagement  between  the  fleets  on  the  15th ;  he 
acknowledged  that  several  ships  were  much  damaged,  and 
that  two  which  had  come  from  the  West  Indies  leaky,  were 
more  so  after  the  engagement ;  that  in  particular,  the  Ter 
rible  was  so  much  damaged  as  occasioned  the  taking  out 
her  guns,  &c.  and  setting  her  on  fire;  after  which  the  fleet 
returned  to  the  Hook,  finding  it  impracticable  to  succour 
Lord  Cornwallis.  It  was  said  that  the  troops  which  had 
embarked,  (about  6000)  had  debarked  on  Staten 
Island.  Other  accounts  stated  their  number  not  more  than 
4000 — they  were  impressing  and  collecting  wagons. 

27th. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  Col.  Wurmb's1 
corps  with  their  arms,  &c. 

28th. — Apprehending  that  the  enemy  might  have  inten 
tions  of  crossing  over  from  Staten  Island  to  the  Jersies,  a 
detachment  of  300  infantry,  with  light  artillery,  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Swift2,  were  ordered  to  cross  the  ferry  the 
next  morning  and  move  as  far  as  Ramapo,  to  be  on  hand 
to  aid  the  militia,  in  case  the  enemy  should  land  in  the  Jer 
sies. 

29th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  the  northward 
that  a  small  party  had  been  sent  from  St.  John's  to  Sara 
toga,  to  take  a  prisoner  or  two,  for  the  purpose  of  obtain 
ing  information,  but  that  five  of  the  party,  with  the  instruc 
tions  of  the  British  commandant  at  St.  John's  were  taken 
and  brought  in  by  Captain  Dunham3. 

IWurmb's  was  a  Hessian  regiment. 

2  Heman  Swift,  2d  Connecticut. 

3  George  Dunham,  2d  Massachusetts. 


288 

30th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Admiral  Digby 
arrived  at  New  York  on  the  25th  inst.  with  three  sail  of  the 
line  and  one  frigate.  Prince  William  Henry,1  the  King  of 
England's  third  son,  came  in  this  fleet.  It  was  said  in  New 
York  that  Lord  Cornwallis's  force  in  Virginia  consisted 
of  5000  regular  troops,  and  3000  levies;  but  that  behind 
him  was  a  numerous  Continental  army — before  him  a 
powerful  French  fleet.  The  troops  on  Staten  Island  were 
at  this  time  suspected  to  be  planning  some  secret  expedi 
tion  ;  and  Congress,  from  some  intelligence  which  they  had 
received,  were  not  without  apprehensions  that  Philadel 
phia  might  be  their  object.  The  militia  of  Pennsylvania 
were  held  in  readiness  for  instant  service,  and  our  General 
was  notified  to  hold  the  army  in  readiness  to  move,  if  neces 
sary.  The  enemy  were  carefully  watched.  Sir  Henry  Clin 
ton  was  endeavouring  to  devise  some  means  whereby  he 
might  relieve  Lord  Cornwallis,  but  nothing  would  have  di 
verted  Gen.  Washington  from  capturing  him.  The  New 
York  papers  were  filled  with  addresses  and  adulations  to 
their  young  Prince ;  but  these  could  not  retard  the  advances 
of  a  Washington  or  defend  Cornwallis.  The  fleet  of  Count 
de  Grasse  made  several  captures. 

3d. — At  3  o'clock  A.  M.  Major  Trescott,2  with  a  detach 
ment  of  100  men  from  Maj.  Tallmadge's  command,  crossed 
the  Sound  to  Long  Island  and  completely  surprised  the 
enemy's  Fort  Slonge3,  making  2  Captains,  1  Lieutenant, 
and  18  rank  and  file  prisoners ;  of  the  enemy,  2  were  killed 
and  2  wounded;  of  the  Americans,  none  were  killed,  and 
but  one  wounded.  Two  double  fortified  4  pounders,  found 
in  the  fort,  were  damaged.  One  brass  three-pounder,  with 
a  number  of  small  arms,  ammunition,  clothing,  British 
goods,  £c.  were  brought  off.  This  enterprise  was  conducted 
with  address  and  gallantry. 

1  Afterwards  William  IV. 

3  Lemuel  Trescott  (1751-1826),  16th  Massachusetts. 

3  Slongo. 


289 

4th. — The  foragers  returned  with  upwards  of  40  loads  of 
hay. 

5th. — A  detachment  of  dragoons  were  sent  towards  Bos 
ton,  and  100  picked  infantry  under  Maj.  Morrel1  were  to 
march  towards  Springfield  to  escort  a  large  sum  of  money 
(brought  by  Col.  Laurens)  to  Philadelphia. 

6th. — The  enemy  were  again  embarking  their  troops 
from  Staten  Island;  they  embarked  on  board  the  men-of- 
war.  Considering  their  case  as  desperate,  they  were  de 
termined  to  make  one  desperate  attempt.  Ten  or  twelve 
fire-ships  were  prepared  to  sail  with  the  fleets;  they  were 
filled  with  proper  materials  for  the  purpose,  and,  to  pre 
vent  suspicion,  they  were  new  painted,  had  guns,  and  the 
appearance  of  some  of  the  handsomest  ships  in  the  fleet. 

8th. — A  detachment  was  sent  on  a  grand  forage.  The 
same  day,  intelligence  was  received  that  a  party  of  refu 
gees  and  Indians  from  Niagara  had  burnt  a  number  of 
houses  and  barns  at  Warworsing2 ;  they  were  pursued  by 
Col.  Paulding,  but  could  not  be  come  up  with.  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  in  his  orders  of  the  3d,  directed  3000  regular 
troops  to  embark  on  board  the  men-of-war  as  marines;  it 
was  supposed  that  everything  would  be  ready  by  the  14th. 
Secret  intelligence  had  been  received  from  Albany,  that  the 
enemy  had  intentions  on  that  city;  that  they  would  ad 
vance  by  different  routes  and  on  their  near  approach  would 
be  joined  by  some  disaffected  people  in  the  country,  and 
the  destruction  of  the  city  be  effected.  Brig.  Gen.  Stark 
had  been  in  command  for  some  time  at  the  northward. 

10th. — Our  General  ordered  the  2d  New  Hampshire  reg 
iment  and  a  detachment  of  artillery  to  the  northward.  Gen. 
Stark  had  executed  a  Mr.  Loveless,3  sent  in  by  Capt.  Dun 
ham  as  a  spy. 

13th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  enemy  had  ad 
vanced  to  this  side  of  Lake  George. 

lAmos  Morrill,  2d  N.  H. 

2Wawarsing,  Ulster  County. 

3  Thomas  Lovelace  was  hung  near  the  present  Schuylerville,  N.  Y. 

He  was  a  noted  Tory  marauder. 


290 

14th. — The  1st  New  Hampshire  and  10th  Massachusetts 
regiments,  with  a  detachment  of  artillery,  were  ordered  to 
Albany,  where  matters  wore  a  more  serious  aspect. 

15th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  on  the  28th  ult. 
Gen.  Washington  took  a  position  in  the  neighborhood  of 
York — the  enemy  gave  him  no  annoyance:  on  his  advanc 
ing,  a  body  of  horse  paraded  before  the  enemy's  works ;  but 
retired  upon  the  discharge  of  a  few  shots  at  them. 

The  29th  was  spent  in  taking  another  position  as  near 
the  enemy's  advanced  works  as  could  be  done  without  plac 
ing  the  encampment  in  range  of  their  shot.  Some  skirmish 
ing  happened  between  our  riflemen  and  the  Jagers,  in 
which  the  former  had  the  advantage.  At  night  the  enemy 
abandoned  all  their  out-posts,  (some  of  which  were  very 
advantageous)  and  retired  to  the  town;  the  Americans  oc 
cupied  the  same  ground,  and  made  lodgments  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  enemy's  lines.  The  heavy  artillery  was 
to  be  brought  up  as  soon  as  possible,  and  the  siege  pushed 
with  vigour. 

30th. — Col.  Scammell,  who  was  officer  of  the  day,  was 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner  by  a  party  of  the  enemy's 
horse,  as  he  was  reconnoitring  one  of  the  works  which  had 
just  before  been  evacuated. 

Our  General  had  ordered  Maj.  Gen.  Lord  Stirling  to 
proceed  to  Albany,  and  take  command  of  the  troops  in 
that  quarter;  he  set  out  for  the  northward  about  noon  on 
the  16th.  The  same  day,  Col.  Tupper,  with  the  1st  New 
Hampshire  and  10th  Massachusetts  regiments,  and  a  de 
tachment  of  artillery,  embarked  at  Fishkill  Landing,  and 
arrived  at  Albany  in  18  hours  afterwards.  The  same  day 
it  was  learnt  that  the  enemy's  fleet  at  New  York  was  24 
or  25  sail  of  the  line,  and  that  5  or  6000  of  the  best  troops 
at  New  York  had  embarked  and  were  on  the  point  of  sail 
ing  to  attempt  to  relieve  Earl  Cornwallis ;  it  was  also  said 
that  Cornwallis  was  short  of  bread,  and  that  his  meat  pro 
visions  would  not  last  him  more  than  the  month  out,  at 


291 

farthest — he  had  received  fresh  provisions  but  once  after 
he  was  blockaded. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th  a  horse-guard  belonging  to 
Gen.  Howe's  division,  consisting  of  a  Sergeant,  9  privates 
and  8  wagoners,  with  30  horses,  were  taken  by  Delancey's 
horse  a  little  below  Croton  River,  where  the  horses  had 
been  put  to  pasture  contrary  to  orders.  A  Court  of  In 
quiry  was  ordered  to  investigate  the  matter. 

18th. — It  was  learnt  that  on  the  preceding  Saturday,  a 
British  74  gun  ship  was  struck  by  the  lightning  at  New 
York,  and  sustained  considerable  damage. 

22d. — Gen.  Greene's  official  letter  to  Congress,  an 
nounced  that  his  battle  on  the  8th,  near  Eutaw  Springs, 
was  well  fought;  that  on  the  field  he  obtained  the  victory, 
drove  and  pursued  the  enemy  for  several  miles,  when  the 
enemy,  throwing  themselves  into  a  three-story  brick  house, 
a  stockaded  garden  and  thick  brush,  renewed  the  action, 
when,  after  some  efforts  to  dislodge  them,  Gen.  Greene 
thought  it  advisable  to  call  off  his  troops,  which  was  done, 
and  the  wounded  brought  off,  except  such  as  were  under 
the  fire  of  the  house.  Four  brass  six-pounders  having  had 
their  horses  killed,  were  also  left  near  the  house,  in  pos 
session  of  the  enemy.  This  was  somewhat  similar  to  what 
took  place  at  Germantown  battle,  and  now  very  probably 
saved  the  British  from  a  total  defeat.  The  close  of  this  ac 
tion  barred  its  being  called  a  complete  victory,  although 
its  effects  proved  it  such.  General  Greene  of  Continental 
State  troops  and  militia,  had  one  Lieutenant-Colonel,  1 
Major,  6  Captains,  8  Subalterns,  8  Sergeants,  and  114 
rank  and  file  killed — 5  Lieutenant-Colonels,  13  Captains, 
25  Subalterns,  32  Sergeants,  and  300  rank  and  file  woun 
ded — 1  Sergeant  and  40  rank  and  file  missing — 1  Brigadier- 
General  of  militia  wounded.  Of  the  enemy,  500  prisoners, 
including  the  wounded,  which  the  enemy  left  behind  them, 
were  taken,  and  it  was  supposed  that  the  killed  and  other 
wounded  of  the  enemy  must  be  nearly  600  more.  Perhaps 
troops  never  fought  better  than  the  Americans  did  in  this 


292 

battle;  and  of  the  British,  General  Greene  observed,  "the 
enemy  fought  with  equal  spirit,  and  worthy  of  a  better 
cause." 

By  a  letter  from  Gen.  Washington  of  the  6th,  it  appeared 
that  the  operations  against  Earl  Cornwallis  had  then  gone 
on  but  slowly,  but  that  the  trenches  were  to  be  opened  that 
night.  The  same  letter  observed  that  some  misunderstand 
ing,  which  had  subsisted  in  Vermont,  was  settled,  and  that 
Gen.  Enos  and  the  troops  under  his  command  were  to  be 
subject  to  the  orders  of  our  General. 

The  army  in  the  Highlands  were  at  this  time  short  of 
flour,  occasioned  by  the  dry  season,  and  consequent  want 
of  water  for  the  mills. 

24th. — A  letter  was  received  from  Gen.  Washington, 
dated  at  York,  in  Virginia,  the  12th,  by  which  it  appeared 
that  the  trenches  were  opened  on  the  night  of  the  6th,  with 
out  being  discovered  by  the  enemy  until  day-light.  The 
approaches  were  carried  on  within  600  yards  of  the  enemy's 
works  without  any  loss — the  7th  and  8th  were  employed 
in  erecting  batteries — on  the  9th,  two  batteries,  one  on  the 
right,  and  the  other  on  the  left,  were  opened.  The  next 
morning,  four  other  batteries  being  completed,  the  whole 
opened  a  heavy  fire  of  cannon  and  mortars,  which  soon 
became  so  warm  as  to  drive  the  enemy  from  their  guns  and 
their  fire  was  almost  totally  silenced — very  little  return 
was  made  afterwards.  The  Charon  of  44  guns,  with  one 
transport,  took  fire  from  our  shot  or  shells,  the  evening  of 
the  10th,  and  were  both  consumed.  The  llth,  another  ship 
was  destroyed  in  the  same  manner.  The  same  night,  the 
second  parallel  was  advanced  within  less  than  400  yards 
of  the  enemy's  lines.  This  approach  was  also  effected  with 
out  annoyance;  and  on  the  12th,  the  fatigue  men  were  se 
curely  covered  while  they  were  completing  the  works.  The 
same  evening  there  was  a  flying  report,  which  seemed  to 
gain  credit,  that  Earl  Cornwallis  and  his  army  surrendered 
on  the  17th,  and  that  Count  de  Grasse  had  gone  out  to 
meet  Admiral  Digby. 


293 

25th. — Intelligence  was  received  of  the  advance  of  the 
enemy  at  the  northward. 

26th. — Col.  Francis,  with  the  specie  from  Boston,  passed 
the  river;  the  money  was  escorted  by  40  horse  of  Sheldon's 
regiment,  and  150  infantry,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Mellen1  was 
ordered  with  a  detachment  of  infantry,  to  move  on  the 
lower  road  as  far  as  Morristown,  keeping  between  the  es 
cort  and  the  enemy. 

28th. — In  the  afternoon,  a  letter  from  Gen.  Washington 
to  our  General  announced  the  pleasing  and  highly  im 
portant  news  of  the  complete  capture  of  Earl  Cornwallis 
and  his  whole  army  on  the  19th.  Our  General  had  assured 
the  army  that  the  moment  he  received  the  certain  intelli 
gence  of  the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  it  should  be  announced 
to  them  by  the  discharge  of  13  cannon  near  his  quarters; 
these  were  now  the  heralds  to  the  army,  and  were  instantly 
answered  by  a  like  number  of  field-pieces  in  every  brigade 
on  the  ground. 

On  the  15th,  two  of  the  enemy's  redoubts  were  stormed, 
one  by  the  Americans  and  the  other  by  the  French  troops, 
and  soon  carried  with  but  little  loss.  The  possession  of 
these  redoubts  gave  the  allied  army  in  a  great  measure  the 
command  of  the  other  works  of  the  enemy,  who  on  the  17th 
beat  a  parley,  and  on  the  19th,  surrendered :  3500  regular 
troops  laid  down  their  arms;  2000  more  were  sick  and 
wounded  in  the  hospitals.  These  were  exclusive  of  sailors, 
negroes,  &c.  Earl  Cornwallis  was  to  go  to  England  on  pa 
role,  and  remain  a  prisoner  until  exchanged.  The  officers 
and  men  were  to  be  exchanged  as  far  as  the  garrison  of 
Charleston  would  extend;  the  remainder  were  to  remain 
prisoners  of  war;  the  British  were  to  retain  their  private 
baggage.  It  was  said  that  more  than  100  vessels  were  taken 
from  the  enemy.  A  detail  of  the  prisoners  taken,  was  stated 
as  follows:  one  Lieut.  General,  one  Brig.  General,  2  Col 
onels,  14  Lieut.  Colonels,  16  Majors,  97  Captains,  180 
Lieutenants,  55  Ensigns,  4  Chaplains,  6  Adjutants,  18 
Quarter-Masters,  18  Surgeons,  25  Mates,  385  Sergeants, 

1  James  Millen,  4th  Massachusetts. 


294 

197  Drummers  and  Trumpeters,  6039  rank  and  file,  189  in 
Commissary's  department — sailors  in  the  pay  of  the  King, 
840 — killed  during  the  siege,  309 — deserters,  44 — 75  brass 
cannon,  169  iron  do.,  5743  muskets  with  bayonets,  915  mus 
kets  without  bayonets,  and  1136  damaged  muskets  were 
among  the  trophies  of  victory.  Thus  was  the  principal 
force  of  the  enemy  crushed  in  the  south.  At  the  northward 
the  enemy  were  advancing,  both  by  the  way  of  the  Lakes 
and  by  the  Mohawk  River.  Col.  Willet1,  with  his  regiment 
of  New  York  levies,  and  some  militia  of  New  York,  and 
from  the  western  parts  of  Massachusetts,  were  advancing 
to  meet  Maj.  Ross,  who,  with  from  500  to  700  men,  prin 
cipally  British  troops,  was  making  his  way  towards  Al 
bany  through  the  settlements  on  the  Mohawk. 

29th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  an  action  took 
place  the  preceding  Thursday,  near  Johnstown,  between 
the  troops  under  the  command  of  Col.  Willett  and  Maj. 
Ross. 

Col.  Willett  having  advanced  until  he  had  arrived  near 
Maj.  Ross  detached  Maj.  Rowley  of  Massachusetts  with  a 
body  of  militia,  by  a  circuitous  movement,  to  get  in  the  rear 
of  the  enemy,  with  orders  that  as  soon  as  he  heard  the  firing 
in  the  front,  to  fall  on  them.  Maj.  Rowley  performed  his 
manoeuvre  acordingly,  and  as  soon  as  Col.  Willett  judged 
that  the  Major  had  gained  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  he  made  a 
vigorous  charge  on  their  front  when  they  immediately  gave 
way,  and  to  all  appearance  the  Colonel  was  nearly  in  the 
grasp  of  victory,  when,  all  at  once,  without  any  visible  oc 
casion,  the  levies  came  to  a  stand  and  then  immediately  be 
gan  to  fall  back,  the  enemy  facing  about  and  charging  vig 
orously;  the  Colonel's  brass  field-piece  and  ammunition 
tumbrel  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  a  rout  seemed 
to  be  taking  place,  when  Maj.  Rowley,  not  knowing  what 
had  taken  place  in  the  front,  commenced  a  brisk  attack  on 
the  enemy's  rear ;  this  instantly  threw  them  into  confusion, 
the  levies  rallied  in  the  front  and  fought  with  redoubled 

'Marinus  Willett. 


295 

bravery ;  the  field-piece  and  tumbrel  were  retaken,  and  the 
enemy  put  to  a  most  complete  rout  and  pursued  until  the 
levies,  militia,  and  some  Oneida  Indians  who  were  with 
Col.  Willett  were  worn  down  with  fatigue.  It  was  not 
possible  to  ascertain  the  number  of  the  enemy's  slain ;  for, 
to  use  the  words  of  the  reporting  officer,  "Unless  the 
swamps  and  rivers  in  which  they  fell  were  to  report  the 
killed,  it  was  impossible  to  make  a  return  of  them."  Major 
Butler1,  so  frequently  a  troublesome  partisan  officer  on  the 
frontiers,  was  killed  by  the  Indians  as  he  was  passing  a 
river.  Fifty- two  prisoners  were  taken  and  brought  in ;  and 
Major  Eoss  went  off  in  a  direction  into  the  woods  where 
he  and  his  troops  must  have  suffered  extremely  for  pro 
visions,  &c.  Of  the  levies  and  militia  with  Col.  Willett,  1 
Lieutenant  and  12  rank  and  file  were  killed;  1  Captain,  2 
Lieutenants,  and  20  rank  and  file  were  wounded;  1  Cap 
tain,  1  Lieutenant  and  3  privates  missing.  Thus  were  the 
designs  of  the  enemy  also  frustrated  in  the  north. 

The  Corporation  of  the  city  of  Albany  were  so  much  im 
pressed  with  the  seasonable  and  effectual  exertions  made 
by  our  General  to  save  their  city  from  destruction,  that 
they  sent  him  the  following  very  polite  address : 

ALBANY,  October  22,  1781. 
"  SIR, 

Threatened  as  this  city  and  the  frontiers  of  the  State 
have  been  with  destruction  from  an  enemy  who,  forgetting 
the  rights  of  humanity  and  customs  of  war  adopted  by  civ 
ilized  nations,  have  hitherto  waged  it  with  all  the  spirit  of 
the  most  savage  barbarism,  we  cannot  reflect  but  with 
pleasure  and  gratitude  on  the  alacrity  with  which  you 
have  pursued  the  intentions  of  the  Commander  in  Chief, 
in  affording  with  so  much  dispatch  a  competent  support 
to  oppose  the  enemy ;  permit  us,  therefore,  to  render  to  you 
our  unfeigned  thanks,  and  to  assure  you  that  the  corpora- 

1  This  was  the  execrated  Walter  N.  Butler,  whose  body  was  denied 
burial. 


296 


tion  of  the  city  of  Albany  can  never  be  unmindful  of  your 
attention;  and  we  entertain  not  the  least  doubt  but  that 
similar  sentiments  influence  every  inhabitant  who  has  ex 
perienced  the  advantage  of  your  generous  exertions. 

We  are,  Sir,  with  the  greatest  respect  and  esteem,  your 
most  obedient,  humble  Servants, 

By  order  of  the  Corporation, 
(Signed)     ABRA.  TEN  BROECK,  Mayor. 
The  Hon.  Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

31st. — The  army  in  the  Highlands  celebrated  the  glori 
ous  victory  obtained  over  Lord  Cornwallis.  The  whole 
army  was  under  arms  in  one  line;  the  artillery  inter 
spersed  with  the  brigades  to  which  it  was  attached;  at  12 
o'clock,  the  army  was  reviewed  by  the  General;  at  one,  a 
grand  feu-de-joy  was  fired,  after  which,  all  the  officers 
dined  together  at  a  table  spread  in  the  field,  and  formed  a 
great  square,  where  great  festivity  and  social  mirth  pre 
vailed.  The  soldiery  had  an  extra  boon  on  the  occasion, 
and,  to  crown  the  whole,  in  the  midst  of  the  joy  around  the 
table,  an  officer  approached  our  General,  and  informed 
him  that,  at  the  request  of  the  prisoners  in  the  provost  (who 
were  pretty  numerous)  he  was  desired  to  represent  that 
their  hearts  expanded  with  joy  on  account  of  the  glorious 
victory  obtained  by  their  illustrious  Commander  in  Chief — 
that  they  lamented  they  could  not  express  it  with  their 
comrades  in  arms,  but  that  they  did  it  heartily  in  their 
confinement,  and  solicited  the  GeneraFs  goodness  in  an 
order  for  something  to  cheer  their  spirits.  This  was  in 
stantly  done,  with  an  additional  order  to  the  officer  of  the 
provost  guard  to  set  every  prisoner  in  confinement  at  lib 
erty.  The  promulgation  of  this  order  drew  a  shout  of  ap 
probation  from  the  whole  body  of  the  officers  at  the  table, 
and  probably  had  a  better  effect  on  the  discipline  of  the 
army  than  a  continuation  of  confinement  and  exemplary 
punishment  of  the  culprits  could  have  produced.  The  gen 
eral  order  of  the  day  directed  that,  "As  soon  as  the  feu-de- 


297 

joy  is  over,  the  arms,  ammunition,  &c.  are  immediately  to 
be  put  in  perfect  order  for  instant  action.  All  guards, 
pickets  and  centinels  to  be  vigilant  and  alert  on  their 
posts;"  which,  notwithstanding  the  joy  of  the  day,  was 
strictly  observed. 

On  this  occasion  there  were  rejoicings  in  all  parts  of  the 
United  States.  One  instance  seems  to  be  worthy  of  notice : 
the  company  collected  had  determined  to  burn  Gen.  Ar 
nold  in  effigy  for  his  treachery  at  West  Point ;  just  as  they 
were  going  to  commit  the  effigy  to  the  flames,  one  of  the 
company  observed  that  one  of  Arnold's  legs  was  wounded 
when  he  was  fighting  bravely  for  America,  that  this  leg 
ought  not  to  be  burnt,  but  amputated ;  in  which  the  whole 
company  agreed,  and  this  leg  was  taken  off  and  safely  laid 

by. 

November  3d. — At  night  the  escort  with  the  southern 
mail,  who  had  put  up  at  Col.  Cooper's  in  Clark's  Town, 
were  attacked  by  a  gang  of  villains  who  fired  into  the  house 
and  killed  the  Sergeant  dead  on  the  spot  and  wounded 
Capt.  Champion1  of  Connecticut,  who  had  put  up  at  the 
same  house,  in  the  shoulder;  the  Corporal  of  the  escort 
behaved  well,  threw  the  mail  behind  a  bed,  and  defended 
the  house — the  assailants  made  off. 

The  same  day  the  foragers  returned  from  below  the  lines 
with  a  large  quantity  of  forage,  and  two  prisoners,  taken 
near  Col.  Phillips's. 

5th. — A  Hessian  Jager  came  in  with  his  horse  and 
equipments  complete. 

7th. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  New  York;  they  left 
the  city  the  evening  before — they  were  very  intelligent ;  by 
them  it  was  learnt  that  the  British  fleet  returned  to  Sandy 
Hook  the  preceding  Saturday  was  a  week — that  no  ac 
tion  happened  while  they  were  at  sea — that  the.  troops 
were  disembarked  from  the  men-of-war,  but  remained  on 


1  Although  the  State  records  make    no  mention    of    his    wound,    this 
officer  was  probably  Henry  Champion,  Jr.,  of  Colchester. 


298 

board  the  transports — that  Gen.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  landed 
on  Long  Island  and  came  across  to  the  city. 

8th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  the  northward  that 
the  enemy  did  not  establish  a  post  at  Ticonderoga,  but 
were  returning  towards  Canada;  and  the  militia  which  had 
been  called  out  were  dismissed.  The  British  at  New  York 
at  this  time,  wished  to  strike  some  of  the  posts  in  the  High 
lands,  but  did  not  attempt  any  of  them.  The  army  was 
short  of  flour,  but  amply  supplied  with  meat. 

About  this  time  our  General  received  a  letter 
from  Gen.  Washington,  dated  at  York,  (Virginia) 
October  27th,  1781,  in  which,  among  other  things, 
the  Commander  in  Chief  observes:  "There  will  be 
no  occasion  for  forwarding  on  any  more  beef  cattle  from 
the  northward  for  this  army.  Should  there  be  a  greater 
quantity  of  cattle  sent  from  the  New  England  States  than 
the  daily  consumption  of  your  army  shall  require,  I  would 
wish  the  surplus  might  be  salted  (if  practicable)  at  some 
convenient  place  on  the  North  River;  otherwise,  it  might 
be  necessary  for  you  to  give  orders  to  the  Agents  and  Com 
missaries  to  prevent  their  sending  more  cattle  than  you 
shall  have  occasion  for."  This  was  the  good  fruit  of  the 
systematic  arrangement. 

12th. — Gen.  Glover,  with  his  own  brigade,  marched  for 
the  lines  in  order  to  cover  a  grand  forage. 

13th. — Lieut.  Deforested  of  the  Connecticut  line,  with 
25  Continental  soldiers,  and  Capt.  Lock  wood,2  with  15  vol 
unteers,  including  Lieutenants  Hull3  and  Mead,4,  of  the 
Connecticut  State  troops,  took  an  armed  slope  of  10  car 
riage-guns  with  25  soldiers  on  board.  Lieut.  De  Forest 
and  those  with  him,  behaved  with  great  address  and  gal 
lantry. 

16th. — Brig.  Gen.  Glover  returned  from  the  grand  for 
age;  during  the  forage  one  of  the  enemy  was  killed  and 

1  Samuel  De  Forest,  5th  Conn. 

2  Lockwood  is  apparently  the  same  as  on  page  288. 

3  Probably  Abner  Hull  of  the  7th  Conn. 

4  Probably  Jasper  Mead,  Lieut.  5th  Conn. 


299 

two  taken  prisoners;  a  quantity  of  corn,  hay,  &c.  and 
about  40  swine,  were  brought  off. 

17th. — The  3d  Massachusetts  brigade  moved  to  their 
ground  of  cantonment,  south  of  the  north  redoubt,  where 
they  built  their  huts. 

19th. — Admiral  Digby  remained  at  New  York  with 
seven  sail  of  the  line,  five  of  74  and  two  of  64  guns,  two 
fifties,  two  frigates,  one  20  gun  ship,  and  two  sloops  of  war ; 
the  remainder  of  the  British  fleet  under  the  command  of  Ad 
miral  Graves,  sailed  from  Sandy  Hook  the  preceding  Mon 
day  for  the  West  Indies;  a  great  number  of  shipping,  per 
haps  300  sail,  were  lying  in  New  York  harbour ;  the  enemy 
and  inhabitants  appeared  much  dejected. 

20th. — Col.  Tupper,  with  the  10th  Massachusetts  regi 
ment,  a  detachment  of  artillery,  &c.  arrived  at  West  Point 
from  Albany. 

23d. — The  Connecticut  line  marched  to  their  canton 
ment  back  of  Constitution  Island,  and  the  corps  of  artil 
lery  to  West  Point.  The  same  day,  Maj.  Gen.  Lord  Stir 
ling  returned  to  the  army  from  Albany. 

24th. — Our  General  removed  his  quarters  from  the  Con 
tinental  Village  to  Robinson's  Farm,  for  winter  quarters. 
The  army  in  want  of  flour  and  forage. 

28th. — The  1st  Massachusetts  brigade  moved  to  their 
cantonment  back  of  West  Point. 

December  2d. — The  militia  which  had  been  called  out 
for  three  months,  were  returning  home.  They  had  served 
with  much  reputation,  and  done  good  service  for  their 
country. 

4th. — Capt.  Sacket1  of  the  New  York  levies,  near  Har 
rison's  Purchase,  below  the  lines,  having  gone  a  small  dis 
tance  from  his  detachment  on  the  morning  of  the  2d,  was 
taken  prisoner  by  a  party  of  the  enemy.  The  enemy  after 
wards  attacked  Lieut.  Mosher2,  to  whom  the  command  of 
the  detachment  fell ;  Lieut.  Mosher  and  the  detachment  be- 

1  Samuel  Sacket,  4th  N.  Y.  (Died  April  15,  1780.) 

2  John  Mosher.  8th  Massachusetts. 


300 

haved  with  great  bravery,  repulsed  the  enemy,  killed  one 
of  them  and  two  horses  and  wounded  eight  of  the  enemy; 
among  them  a  Capt.  Kipp,  said  mortally ;  Colonel  Holmes 
and  Capt.  Kipp  had  their  horses  killed  under  them.  The 
levies  had  not  a  man  killed  or  wounded. 

The  army  were  now  busily  employed  in  building  their 
huts,  which  they  prosecuted  with  great  expedition,  and 
soon  rendered  them  comfortable  as  to  shelter;  but  many 
of  the  troops  were  in  a  most  naked  and  distressed  condition 
as  to  clothing;  but  relief  was  daily  arriving  from  the  east- 
ward. 

8th. — The  officers  and  soldiers  who  had  been  in  Virginia 
were  now  returning  to  the  army.  Some  of  the  soldiers, 
brought  the  small-pox  with  them. 

12th. — The  river  was  frozen  down  to  Fishkill  Landing. 

The  13th  was  a  general  Thanksgiving  Day ;  a  large  com 
pany  of  the  officers  of  the  army  dined  with  our  General. 

24th. — The  Clothier-General  was  issuing  the  new  cloth 
ing  to  the  regimental  Pay-Masters — a  most  necessary  piece 
of  business.  Congress  about  this  time,  by  resolutions 
which  they  passed,  called  upon  the  Legislatures  of 
the  respective  States  to  complete  their  quotas  of  the  army 
by  the  first  of  March  ensuing,  Congress  being  determined 
to  push  the  late  sucesses  until  the  enemy  were  driven  from 
America.  The  preceding  day,  viz.  the  23d,  Capt.  Williams1 
of  the  New  York  levies,  (stationed  on  the  lines)  with  25 
volunteer  horse,  made  an  excursion  to  Morrisania,  where 
they  took  and  brought  off  prisoners,  one  Captain,  one 
Lieutenant,  and  seven  privates  of  Delancey's  corps,  with 
out  the  loss  of  a  man.  Capt.  Williams  conducted  this  enter 
prise  with  address  and  gallantry.  Capt.  Pritchard  moved 
down  with  a  detachment  of  Continental  troops  to  cover  the 
horse,  if  necessary,  but  the  enemy  did  not  come  out. 

26th. — Five  deserters  came  in  from  Arnold's  corps,  with 
their  horses,  &c.  complete;  they  were  a  patrol  to  a  forag 
ing  party  near  Col.  Phillips's.  An  embarkation  of  troops 

1  Daniel  Williams. 


301 


was  taking  place  at  New  York  for  Charleston  and  Savan 
nah  ;  Gen.  Leslie  having  written,  that  without  a  reinforce 
ment  he  could  not  maintain  his  posts. 

27th. — Free  Masons  celebrated  the  feast  of  St.  John,  &c. 

31st. — The  river  was  a  little  freed  of  the  ice. — Thus 
closed  the  year  1781,  a  year  which  will  be  memorable  in 
the  annals  of  the  United  States  of  America  for  the  capture 
of  Earl  Cornwallis  and  his  army — for  several  well-fought 
battles  in  the  south  by  General  Greene  and  the  British,  in 
that  quarter — for  the  Count  de  Grasse's  having  visited  our 
coast  with  the  most  formidable  fleet  ever  before  in  these 
seas — and  for  general  successes  on  the  American  arms, 
under  the  smiles  of  Divine  Providence  in  every  quarter. 
May  the  new  year  be  rendered  more  auspicious  in  the  com 
pletion  of  the  American  warfare,  and  in  the  establishment 
of  the  United  States  in  the  full  acknowledgment  of  inde 
pendence,  peace  and  happiness. 

1782.  January  1st. — A  new  mode  of  supplying  the 
army  by  contract  commenced  under  the  conduct  of  Com 
fort  Sands  &  Co.,  contractors. 

7th. — Nine  soldiers  had  then  died  of  the  small-pox; 
it  was  spreading,  and  it  was  determined  to  inoculate 
such  as  had  not  had  the  distemper,  which  took  place  in  the 
Connecticut  line  on  the  llth. 

llth. — Capt.  Hunnewell1  of  New  York,  with  a  number 
of  volunteer  horse,  covered  by  Maj.  Trescott  with  a  detach 
ment  of  Continental  troops,  made  an  excursion  to  Mor- 
risania,  took  and  brought  off  prisoners  Capt.  Totten  and 
three  privates  of  Delancey's  corps ;  it  was  the  intent  to  have 
captured  the  Colonel,  but  he  was  absent  from  his  quarters. 
A  party  of  the  enemy's  horse  collected  and  pursued  Capt. 
Hunnewell  but  they  were  checked  by  Major  Trescott,  and 
no  injury  was  sustained. 

14th. — It  was  learnt  that  on  the  4th,  a  fleet  of  25  sail  of 
victuallers  arrived  at  New  York  from  Cork  under  convoy 

1  Capt.  Israel  Honeywell,  Jr.,  1st  West  Chester  militia. 


302 

of  the  Quebec  frigate ;  ten  sail  more  were  left  at  Charles 
ton,  where  the  whole  touched. 

3  6th. — The  river  was  hard  frozen  again,  and  was  passa 
ble  on  the  ice  from  West  Point  to  Constitution  Island.  The 
same  day  a  sergeant  and  four  dragoons  came  in  from  Ar 
nold's  corps,  with  six  horses  and  furniture  complete.  The 
sixth  dragoon  would  not  come  off,  on  which  the  others 
took  from  him  his  horse,  cloak,  sword,  &c.  They  deserted 
from  a  foraging  party  and  reported  that  a  great  part  of 
the  corps  would  desert  when  the  opportunity  offered. 

17th. — Three  dragoons  came  in  from  Arnold's  corps  with 
their  horses,  &c.  complete,  and  one  prisoner  taken  by  our 
guides  near  Morrisania,  was  sent  up. 

18th. — Lieut.  Hi  will1,  crossing  the  river  on  the  ice,  fell 
through,  but  fortunately  got  out  again. 

19th. — It  was  communicated  that  about  the  month  of 
the  preceding  October,  one  -  -  was  offered  two  thousand 
guineas  to  take  Gen.  Washington,  and  five  hundred  to 
take  and  bring  in  Gov.  Keed. 

20th. — News  was  received  that  the  Marquis  de  Bouille2, 
Governor  of  Martinico3,  had  recaptured  the  Island  of  St. 
Eustatia,  where  he  made  prisoners  of  670  men.  The  Count 
de  Grasse,  with  31  sail  of  the  line,  had  arrived  at  Martin 
ico  before  the  6th  of  December.  The  British  fleet  from 
New  York  had  arrived  at  Barbadoes. 

24th. — Some  uneasiness  having  taken  place  on  account 
of  the  issues  of  provisions  under  the  contract,  the  officers 
commanding  brigades  were  ordered,  on  the  part  of  the 
army,  to  endeavour  an  adjustment  with  the  contractors, 
who  went  for  that  purpose. 

28th. — A  man  and  his  horse  fell  through  the  ice  near 
West  Point;  several  soldiers  lent  their  assistance,  but  in 
vain — both  were  drowned. 

31st. — The  whole  of  the  troops  who  had  not  before  had 

Uohn  Hiwell,  3rd  Continental  artillery.  He  died  in  Savannah, 
1788. 

2  Bouill§. 

3  Martinique. 


303 

the  small-pox,  were  then  under  the  operation  of  inoculation 
—their  number  near  2000 ;  several  had  died,  but  in  general 
it  was  very  favourable. 

February  8th. — News  was  received  that  the  Duke  de 
Lauzun,  who  carried  to  France  the  news  of  the  capture  of 
Earl  Cornwallis,  arrived  in  Prance  in  23  days  after  he  left 
the  Chesapeake;  that  there  were  great  rejoicings  in  France 
on  the  occasion,  and  also  for  the  birth  of  a  Dauphin. 

10th. — The  river  had  been  passable  on  the  ice  for  several 
days  at  King's  Ferry.  On  the  preceding  Thursday,  about 
50  of  Delancey's  horse  came  out  within  four  miles  of  Chap- 
paqua,  where  they  halted.  On  the  8th,  they  moved  towards 
North  Castle,  but  turned  off  by  Wright's  Mills ;  from  thence 
to  King  Street,  and  towards  Horseneck ;  they  fell  in  with  a 
small  guard  of  Gen.  Waterbury's — killed  one  and  made 
four  prisoners;  they  also  took  two  or  three  inhabitants, 
plundered  two  houses,  and  returned.  About  this  time,  a 
detachment  from  the  Jersey  line  made  an  attempt  on  the 
refugee  post  at  Bergen,  but  were  repulsed. 

17th. — The  King  of  England's  speech  to  his  Parliament 
came  to  hand;  this  speech  was  more  moderate  than  any 
before  had  been,  and  an  inclination  to  pacification  was  dis 
cernible. 

20th. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  Arnold's  corps  and 
also  two  Hessians;  ten  had  come  in  during  the  course  of 
two  or  three  days. 

21st. — The  enemy  were  out  towards  Bedford.  About 
this  time,  nine  or  ten  thousand  stand  of  arms  and  a  large 
quantity  of  pOAvder  brought  from  France  by  Col.  Laurens, 
were  brought  from  Boston  to  Fishkill. 

23d. — A  detachment,  consisting  of  150  men,  properly  of 
ficered,  under  the  command  of  Maj.  Maxwell,  marched  for 
Stamford  to  cover  that  part  of  the  country. 

27th. — Col.  Sumner  arrived  from  Massachusetts;  he 
brought  on  about  2000  suits  of  clothes  for  the  army.  The 
day  before,  a  Mr.  Dyckman1,  one  of  our  guides  on  the  lines, 

1  Abraham  Dyckman   (see  next  page). 


304 

with  13  volunteer  horsemen,  made  an  excursion  to  Morri- 
sania,  took  five  prisoners  of  Delancey's  corps  and  five 
horses ;  on  their  return  they  were  pursued  by  a  party  of  the 
enemy's  horse,  who  coming  rather  too  near,  the  brave 
volunteers  faced  about,  charged  vigorously,  and  took  one 
man  prisoner  with  his  horse,  and  put  the  rest  to  flight.  The 
enemy  again  appeared  in  some  force  at  a  distance,  but 
dared  not  to  renew  the  attack.  About  this  time,  a  fleet  of 
transports  sailed  from  New  York  to  the  southward;  it 
was  conjectured  to  bring  away  troops. 

March  3d. — The  river  was  so  freed  of  ice  that  the  Gen 
eral's  barge  crossed  to  West  Point.  Two  prisoners  of  war 
taken  from  Delancey's  corps  were  sent  up.  Accounts  from 
Massachusetts  announced  an  uneasiness  among  the  people 
respecting  the  burden  of  taxes,  and  that  there  had  been 
Conventions  in  the  counties  of  Hampshire  and  Berkshire. 

4th. — Capt.  Hunnewell,  with  a  body  of  volunteer  horse, 
backed  by  the  infantry  under  the  command  of  Maj.  Wood- 
bridge,  made  an  excursion  to  Morrisania,  The  horse  pro 
ceeded  down  between  the  British  fort  No.  8  and  the  can 
tonment  of  Delancey's  corps,  and  having  turned  the  canton 
ments  between  day-break  and  sun-rise,  they  entered  pell- 
mell.  The  enemy  were  completely  surprised  and  fled  in 
every  direction;  some  were  cut  down  on  the  spot,  others 
so  badly  wounded  as  not  to  be  able  to  be  removed.  Some 
of  the  enemy  availed  themselves  of  positions  where  the 
horse  could  not  assail  them,  from  whence  they  began  to  fire 
on  the  horse;  this  ocasioned  the  firing  of  the  alarm  guns 
at  No.  8.  The  horse  having  nearly  accomplished  their  de 
sign,  moved  off,  taking  the  East  Chester  road,  on  which 
Maj.  Woodbridge  had  posted  the  infantry  in  ambuscade. 
Capt.  Hunnewell  had  brought  off  one  Subaltern  and  20  men 
prisoners,  and  20  horses.  The  enemy  in  the  vicinity  col 
lected  a  number  of  horse,  backed  by  light  infantry,  and 
pursued  Capt.  Hunnewell  until  he  came  to  Maj.  Wood- 
bridge.  The  enemy  were  drawn  into  the  ambuscade,  who 
made  one  or  two  discharges  on  them,  on  which  they  broke 


and  retired,  but  soon  returned  to  the  charge;  skirmishing 
ensued,  and  continued  to  a  considerable  distance.  Of  the 
Americans,  two  privates  were  killed— Mr.  Dyckman,  one 
of  the  guides,  a  brave  and  active  man,  mortally  wounded, 
and  three  privates  slightly  wounded. 

The  enemy  at  New  York  were  now  contemplating  means 
for  their  own  defence  against  the  next  campaign,  and  it  was 
determined  to  open  a  canal  and  strong  lines  from  the  Hud 
son  to  the  East  River,  at  some  distance  from  the  city.  The 
canal  was  to  be  deep  and  wide;  2000  men  were  employed 
on  the  works  on  one  day,  300  of  whom  were  inhabitants. 
The  same  number  were  to  be  furnished  daily.  These  prep 
arations  were  a  defensive  shield  for  the  time  of  approach 
ing  negotiation,  for,  from  the  debates  and  speeches  in  the 
British  Parliament,  the  olive-branch  was  evidently  putting 
forth  its  buds. 

10th. — Two  soldiers  belonging  to  the  6th  Massachusetts 
regiment,  having  some  words  respecting  their  mess,  one 
of  them  struck  the  other  with  his  fist  a  blow  on  the  head 
and  killed  him  dead  on  the  spot.  About  the  same  time,  an 
inhabitant,  apprehending  that  some  soldiers  were  about 
to  rob  his  henroost,  discharged  a  musket  out  of  a  window, 
by  which  a  soldier  was  killed. 

13th. — Maj.  Gen.  Lincoln,  Secretary  at  War,  arrived  at 
the  army  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia. 

At  this  time  it  was  learnt  that  on  the  13th  of  the  preced 
ing  December  there  were  strong  debates  in  the  British 
House  of  Commons  respecting  the  carrying  on  of  the  war 
in  America.  When  Sir  James  Lowther  made  a  motion  that 
the  mode  which  had  been  pursued  was  ineffectual,  many 
Members  spoke  for  and  against  the  motion;  when  it  was 
put,  there  was  against  the  motion,  220;  for  it,  179;  ma 
jority,  41. 

14th. — Lieut.  Harris,  with  six  men  belonging  to  Capt. 
Vermille's1  company  of  militia,  having  obtained  intelli 
gence  of  a  party  of  Delancey's  corps  being  at  a  house  near 

1  Benjamin  Vermilyea  was  a  captain  in  the  1st  Westchester  militia 


306 

Mile-Square,  had  the  address  to  surprise  the  whole  party, 
consisting  of  12,  killed  one  and  made  four  prisoners. 

21st. — A  duel1  was  fought  at  West  Point  between  Capt. 

and  Lieut. ,  when  the  former  was  killed  and  the 

latter  wounded :  they  fought  with  pistols,  at  about  ten  feet 
distance.  The  Lieutenant  absconded. 

25th. — News  was  received  that  the  islands  of  St.  Chris 
topher's  and  Nevis  surrendered  to  the  arms  of  his  most 
Christian  Majesty  on  the  12th  of  the  preceding  February. 
The  terms  granted  by  the  French  commandants  were  truly 
noble,  and  reflect  the  highest  honour  on  them. 

26th. — About  this  time,  putrid  fevers  were  prevalent 
among  the  American  troops,  and  in  some  instances  proved 
mortal.  About  this  time  an  embarkation  of  about  800 
troops  took  place  at  New  York ;  their  destination  not  pub- 
lickly  known. 

28th. — The  whole  army  were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness 
for  instant  action,  or  to  march  to  such  place  or  places  as 
might  stand  in  need  of  aid.  An  additional  company  was 
ordered  to  the  lines,  and  another  to  Smith's  Clove,  for  the 
safety  of  the  Commander  in  Chief,  who  was  on  his  way 
from  Philadelphia  to  Newburgh,  and  was  to  pass  the  Clove 
on  the  succeeding  Saturday  or  Sunday.  News  was  re 
ceived  that  the  citizens  of  London  and  Westminister  had 
petitioned  the  King,  in  the  strongest  terms,  to  relinquish 
the  American  war. 

29th. — Five  deserters  came  in  from  Arnold's  corps  with 
their  arms,  &c.  complete.  The  enemy  were  busily  employed 
on  their  canal  and  lines:  a  number  of  heavy  cannon  had 
been  put  on  board  ship  at  New  York.  About  this  time  the 
British  cruisers  were  but  too  successful  against  the  Ameri 
cans  at  sea.  A  ship  of  18  guns  had,  for  some  time,  taken  a 
station  off  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek. 

31st. — His  excellency  Gen.  Washington  arrived  at  New- 
burgh  ;  he  had  been  absent  from  the  main  army  since  the 


IThe  principals  were  Captain  Luke  Hitchcock  of  the  1st  Massachu 
setts  and  Lieutenant  Nathan  Stone  of  Jackson's  regiment  (Mass.). 


307 

19th  of  the  preceding  August,  having  spent  the  winter  at 
Philadelphia  after  the  capture  of  Earl  Cornwallis. 

April  2d. — Our  General  went  up  to  Newburgh  to  pay  his 
respects  to  the  Commander  in  Chief,  where  he  dined,  and 
returned  at  evening;  Gen.  Washington  established  his 
quarters  at  Newburgh.  On  the  night  of  the  1st,  a  party  of 
Capt.  Fray's  men,  from  the  water-guard,  being  on  shore,  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  fell  in  with  a  party  of  our  own 
militia,  who,  in  the  dark,  attacked  each  other ;  four  of  the 
latter  were  wounded,  and  eleven  (being  the  whole  of  the 
party)  were  taken  prisoners  before  the  mistake  was  dis 
covered.  An  express,  on  his  way  from  St.  John's  to  New 
York,  with  several  letters,  one  in  characters,1  had  been 
taken. 

4th. — The  following  extract  was  published  in  the  general 
orders : 

HEAD-QUARTERS,,  NEWBURGH,  April  4th,  1782. 
"The  Commander  in  Chief  having  returned  and  resumed 
the  command  of  the  main  army,  presents  his  thanks  to  Maj. 
Gen.  Heath  and  the  troops  which  have  been  employed  under 
his  orders,  for  having  preserved  the  important  posts  com 
mitted  to  his  charge  and  covered  the  country  so  successfully 
against  the  depredations  of  the  enemy  during  the  absence 
of  the  General." 

6th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  visited  West  Point,  and 
reviewed  the  first  Massachusetts  brigade.  On  his  arrival 
at  the  Point,  he  was  saluted  by  the  discharge  of  13  cannon. 

8th. — Four  deserters  came  in,  three  from  the  42d  Brit 
ish  regiment,  and  a  seaman  from  the  ship  Venger;  this  ship 
stationed  in  the  North  River,  mounted  24  guns,  and  had 
two  gun-boats  with  her.  The  enemy  continued  at  work  on 
their  canal  and  lines,  which  they  were  making  very  strong. 
An  incredible  number  of  fascines  had  been  made  during 
winter  on  Long  Island  and  Staten  Island,  strongly  bound 

1  Cipher  is  doubtless  meant. 


308 

with  eight  bands ;  these  were  placed  in  the  face  of  the  work 
with  five  pickets  in  each  fascine. 

9th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  reviewed  the  3d  Massa 
chusetts  brigade  and  10th  regiment,  and  dined  with  our 
General.  The  same  day,  two  deserters  came  in  from  the 
ship  in  the  river.  The  same  night,  an  armed  brig,  and  three 
boats,  full  of  men,  came  up  the  Hudson,  and  came  to  anchor 
a  little  above  the  place  where  our  guard-boats  rendezvous 
at  Nyack ;  they  were  early  discovered  and  the  alarm  given. 
The  soldiers  landed  at  Haverstraw  about  one  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  10th  and  took  three  or  four  militiamen.  It 
was  supposed  that  their  design  was  to  have  taken  our  whale- 
boats;  they  were  refugees  and  sailors.  Not  knowing  but 
that  this  might  have  been  a  feint  to  an  attack  on  the  lines, 
200  men  were  detached  for  their  support,  if  necessary. 
The  enemy  returned  down  the  river  in  the  afternoon,  hav 
ing,  in  addition  to  the  militia  above  mentioned,  taken  two 
of  Capt.  Fray's  men  who  were  out  burning  coal,  and  two 
others  who  were  over  at  Tarrytown  fishing,  and  destroyed 
some  seines.  It  was  learnt  from  the  northward  that  the 
enemy  were  repairing  and  building  boats  at  St.  John's, 
and  bringing  up  provisions  to  that  place;  this  rendered  it 
probable  that  the  enemy  would  be  troublesome  in  that 
quarter  the  ensuing  campaign.  Several  parties  of  Indians 
had  been  skulking  about  on  the  Mohawk  River,  had  killed  a 
soldier  and  a  lad,  and  taken  a  soldier  prisoner,  and  burnt 
a  building. 

14th. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  Robinson's  corps; 
they  made  their  escape  from  Long  Island  by  crossing  the 
Sound  in  a  canoe.  They  reported  that  the  enemy  were  un 
der  great  apprehensions  of  an  attack,  and  were  making 
every  preparation  for  defence;  that  62,000  fascines  had 
been  made  on  Long  Island  during  the  winter  and  spring. 
A  fleet  of  transports  had  arrived  at  New  York  from 
Charleston.  Lines  were  traced  out  on  Long  Island  from 
the  great  fort  to  the  marsh,  near  M'Gowan's  mill  dam. 

18th. — It  was  learnt  that  the  enemy  had  laid  an  embargo 


309 

on  the  shipping  at  New  York.  News  was  received  that 
Holland  had  formed  an  alliance  with  France,  and  that  a 
Spanish  fleet  had  arrived  in  the  West  Indies. 

19th. — The  General  Officers,  and  officers  commanding 
brigades  and  regiments,  met  at  our  General's  quarters,  in 
consequence  of  orders  from  the  Commander  in  Chief,  to 
give  an  opinion  what  measures  ought  to  be  adopted  in  con 
sequence  of  the  horrid  and  brutal  murder  of  a  Capt.  Huddy, 
who  had  commanded  a  block-house  at  Tom's  Eiver,  in  the 
Jersies,  and  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  enemy  and 
carried  to  New  York,  where  he  was  closely  confined,  under 
guard,  and  in  the  sugar-house,  and  on  board  a  vessel,  in 
irons  and  then  carried  over  to  Bergen,  in  the  Jersies,  and 
hanged  by  the  refugees,  a  Capt.  Lippincott  directing  the 
execution.  This  was  done  under  the  pretence  that  Capt. 
Hud!dy  had  been  concerned  in  the  death  of  one  Philip 
White,  although  White  was  killed  by  the  guard,  from  whom 
he  endeavoured  to  make  his  escape,  and  Capt.  Huddy  was 
at  the  same  time  a  prisoner  with  the  enemy.  Huddy  was 
left  hanging  on  a  tree  with  the  following  label  fastened  on 
his  breast :  "Up  goes  Huddy  for  Philip  White."  This  wan 
ton  and  cruel  act  so  exasperated  the  inhabitants  of  New 
Jersey,  that  they  drew  up  a  petition,  signed  by  a  vast  num 
ber  of  respectable  citizens,  claiming  of  Gen.  Washington, 
as  the  Military  Guardian  of  their  country,  the  obtainment 
of  justice  for  this  horrid  act,  or  retaliation  in  case  justice 
was  refused.  Indeed,  painful  as  the  idea  of  retaliation 
must  be  to  the  feelings  of  humanity,  it  seemed  now  to  be 
the  only  preventative  of  more  horrid  murders.  Gen.  Wash 
ington  with  his  wonted  prudence  and  talent  for  investiga 
tion,  free  of  all  bias,  ordered  the  officers  to  assemble  as  be 
fore  mentioned,  and  directed  our  General  to  state  to  them 
the  occasion  of  their  being  convened,  and  then  the  follow 
ing  questions :  "Shall  there  be  retaliation  for  the  murder 
of  Capt.  Huddy?  On  whom  shall  it  be  inflicted?  And  how 
shall  the  victim  be  designated?"  The  officers  assembled 
were  forbidden  to  converse  on  the  questions  submitted  to 


310 

them,  each  one  was  to  write  his  own  opinion,  seal  it  up,  and 
address  it  to  the  Commander  in  Chief.  By  this  mode  of 
procedure,  all  the  influence  which  some  officers  might  have 
on  others  was  prevented,  and  the  spontaneous  feelings  of 
every  individual  officer  collected.  Col.  Humphries1  and 
Col.  Trumbull  of  the  General's  family,  attended  the  Coun 
cil,  and  every  direction  of  the  Commander  in  Chief  was 
most  strictly  observed.  It  was  found  that  the  officers  were 
unanimous  in  their  opinion  that  retaliation  ought  to  take 
place;  that  it  should  be  inflicted  on  an  officer  of  equal  rank, 
viz.  a  Captain ;  not  under  Convention  or  capitulation,  but 
one  who  had  surrendered  at  discretion ;  and  that  in  desig 
nating  such  a  one,  it  should  be  done  by  lot.  The  Com 
mander  in  Chief  was  pleased  to  approve  of  the  opinion  of 
the  officers,  and  wrote  to  the  British  commander  demand 
ing  justice  for  the  wanton  murder  of  Capt.  Huddy,  inform 
ing  the  British  General  at  the  same  time  that  if  justice  was 
not  obtained  retaliation  would  most  assuredly  take  place.  At 
the  same  time  arrangements  were  put  in  train  for  retalia 
tion  ;  the  names  of  several  British  officers  of  equal  rank  and 
circumstances  were  thrown  together,  and  a  fair  and  impar 
tial  lot  was  drawn,  when  young  Capt.  Asgill  was  taken; 
he  was  of  a  noble  family,  his  father  was  dead,  and  on  him 
were  the  fond  hopes  of  his  mother,  Lady  Asgill,  placed.  In 
deed,  a  more  affecting  scene  than  this  can  scarcely  open ; 
an  innocent  young  man  doomed  to  suffer  for  the  wanton 
offence  of  another,  which  deed,  no  doubt,  his  soul  despised  ; 
and  the  tender  breast  of  a  mother  rent  in  twain  on  the  fate 
of  her  darling  son.  Nor  were  the  feelings  of  the  great  Wash 
ington  unmoved  on  this  occasion;  they  were  too  manifest 
not  to  be  observed,  and  could  only  be  curbed  by  the  invaria 
ble  resolution  in  every  exigence,  to  exhibit  the  administra 
tor  of  justice.  It  was  months  before  this  tragic  business 
closed,  and  that  the  reader  may  have  the  whole  narrative 
together,  it  will  be  carried  forward  to  such  periods  as  will 

1  David  Humphreys. 


311 

render  a  return  back  to  the  proper  chain  of  events  neces 
sary. 

Gen.  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  who  had  come  into  the  command 
in  chief  at  New  York,  wrote  to  Gen.  Washington,  assuring 
him  of  the  fullest  satisfaction. 

Sir  Guy  ordered  a  Court- Martial  for  the  trial  of  Capt. 
Lip  pin  co  tt,  who  was  charges!  with  the  murder  of  Capt. 
Huddy.  The  Court-Martial  had  set  and  given  in  their  pro 
ceedings  to  Gen.  Carleton,  who  wrote  a  letter  to  Gen. 
Washington  requesting  a  passport  for  Chief  Justice  Smith 
to  repair  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  American  army,  in  or 
der  to  lay  before  the  Commander  in  Chief  the  proceedings 
of  the  Court-Martial,  with  other  documents  which  he  ( Sir 
Guy)  had  no  doubt  would  give  full  satisfaction. 

Upon  Gen.  Washington's  receiving  the  letter  from  Sir 
Guy  Carleton,  he  informed  our  General  that  he  should  not 
consent  to,  or  give  a  passport  to  Mr.  Chief  Justice  Smith, 
to  come  up  with  the  proceedings  of  the  Court-Martial  on 
Lippincott;  but  that  he  would  send  him  (Gen.  Heath) 
down  to  Col.  Phillips's,  near  King's  Bridge,  to  meet  such 
officer  of  equal  rank  as  Sir  Guy  Carleton  might  think 
proper  to  send  out  to  meet  him,  with  the  proceedings  of  the 
Court-Martial,  &c. ;  and  on  the  30th  of  July  the  Commander 
in  Chief  wrote  to  our  General  as  follows : 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  30th  July,  1782. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

For  your  information  and  that  you  may  know  the  ob 
ject  of  your  mission,  I  enclose  to  you  a  transcript  of  my 
letter  to  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  which  is  herewith  committed  to 
your  care  to  be  forwarded  as  soon  as  possible. 

Before  the  time  of  your  going  to  Phillips's  house,  I  shall 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  or  conveying  to  you  in 
writing  my  sentiments  more  fully  on  the  subject  of  your 
meeting. 

With  great  regard,  &c. 
(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 


312 

Copy. 

HEAD-QUARTERS,,  July  31st,  1782. 
"SiR, 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  25th,  I  have  to  inform 
your  Excellency  that  Maj.  Gen.  Heath,  second  in  command, 
with  two  Aids-de-Camp,  will  have  the  honour  of  meeting  an 
officer  of  equal  rank  of  your  Excellency's  appointment,  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Phillips,  on  the  5th  day  of  August  next. 
At  that  time  Gen.  Heath  will  receive  from  your  officer  the 
proceedings  of  the  Court-Martial  on  Capt.  Lippincott,  for 
the  murder  of  Capt.  Huddy,  together  with  such  other  doc 
uments  as  you  shall  think  proper  to  communicate. 

The  assurance  which  your  Excellency  has  given  me  of 
the  fullest  satisfaction  in  this  matter,  is  as  pleasing  as  it 
is  interesting. 

Your  Excellency's  propositions,  contained  in  your  letter 
of  the  7th,  have  been  communicated  to  Congress,  and  are 
now  under  the  consideration  of  that  honourable  body;  as 
soon  as  I  am  favoured  with  their  determination,  your  Ex 
cellency  may  be  assured  I  will  do  myself  the  honour  to 
communicate  it. 

I  have  the  honour,  &c. 
(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON. 
SIR  GUY  CARLETON." 

By  his  Excellency  George  Washington,  Esq.,  General  and 
Commander  in  Chief  of  the  forces  of  the  United  States 
of  America: 
"  To  Maj.  Gen.  HEATH. 

SIR, 

His  Excellency  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  having  requested  a 
pass-port  for  Chief  Justice  Smith,  to  repair  to  the  head 
quarters  of  the  American  army,  in  order  to  lay  before  me 
the  proceedings  of  a  Court-Martial,  on  the  trial  of  Capt. 
Lippincott  for  the  murder  of  Capt.  Huddy,  with  other  doc 
uments  and  explanations,  which  lie  says,  "he  has  no  doubt 
will  give  full  satisfaction : 


313 

I  do,  therefore,  from  an  earnest  desire  to  proceed  with 
candour  and  deliberate  justice,  appoint  you  to  meet  an 
officer  of  equal  rank,  at  the  house  of  Col.  Phillips,  on  Mon 
day  the  5th  instant,  or  at  any  other  time  or  place  which 
you  may  think  more  convenient,  for  the  purpose  of  receiv 
ing  the  proceedings  and  documents  above  mentioned,  with 
such  explanations  in  writing  as  he  may  think  proper  to 
communicate.  The  papers  you  shall  receive,  you  will  trans 
mit  to  me  as  soon  as  your  business  is  concluded,  together 
with  a  report  of  your  proceedings  therein. 

Given  at  head-quarters,  this  3d  day  of  August,  1782. 

(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON. 
By  his  Excellency's  command." 

The  following  instructions  accompanied  the  foregoing 
commission : 

"To  Maj.  Gen.  HEATH,,  '. ! 

SIR, 

Having  desired  you  to  meet  an  officer  from  Sir  Guy 
Carleton  for  the  purpose  mentioned  in  your  appointment 
and  authority,  you  will  proceed  to  execute  said  business, 
in  the  course  of  which  you  may  inform  the  officer  you  meet 
that,  as  I  have  no  connexion  with,  or  control  over  any  per 
son  in  the  line  in  which  Mr.  Smith  walks ;  as  the  question 
before  us  is  in  my  opinion  purely  of  a  military  nature,  and 
reduceable  to  this  single  point,  whether  the  perpetrator 
of  the  wanton  and  cruel  murder  of  Huddy  is  to  be  given 
up,  or  a  British  officer  to  suffer  in  his  place,  that  I  could 
see  no  propriety  or  necessity  in  an  interview  with  the  Chief 
Justice. 

If  you  should  find  that  the  design  of  Sir  Guy 
Carleton  is  to  procrastinate  this  business,  to  en 
velope  it  in  as  much  intricity  and  difficulty  as 
possible,  or  that  he  means  to  justify  it  by  recrim 
ination  and  law  cases,  thereby  attempting  to  avert  our 
purposes  of  retaliation,  you  may  assure  him,  (unless  you 
shall  judge  it  expedient  to  leave  me  more  at  liberty)  if  not 


314 

explicitly,  at  least  by  strong  insinuation,  that  he  will  miss 
his  aim ;  and  that  my  deliberate  and  dispassionate  proceed 
ings  in  this  case  are  intended  to  give  him,  as  he  now  has 
had,  full  time  to  determine  whether  the  guilty  person  or 
an  innocent  officer  shall  be  made  the  subject  of  retaliation. 

You  will  be  particularly  cautious,  that  whatever  passes 
in  the  conference  you  are  to  have,  which  is  to  be  considered 
as  official,  be  committed  to  writing,  that  no  omissions  or 
misconceptions  may  be  plead  hereafter;  and  you  will  in- 
form  the  officer  in  explicit  terms,  if  you  find  the  matter  is 
not  likely  to  end  as  justice  dictates  and  we  could  wish,  that 
all  oral  conversation  will  be  excluded  from  the  official  re 
port  of  these  proceedings  now,  or  any  share  in  the  account 
of  them  hereafter,  or  the  recital  of  them  will  be  considered 
as  unfair,  and  an  evident  departure  from  that  line  of  rec 
titude  which  we  wished  to  pursue,  for  an  unbiassed  world 
to  judge  by. 

If,  notwithstanding  my  letter  to  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  re 
questing  his  appointment  of  an  officer  of  your  rank 
to  meet  you  on  this  business,  he  should  send  Mr.  Chief 
Justice  Smith,  you  may,  at  your  discretion,  either  receive 
the  proceedings  of  the  Court,  and  such  other  documents  as 
he  is  merely  the  bearer  of,  without  going  into  any  explana 
tion  with  this  gentleman,  or  refuse  the  whole,  as  the  cir 
cumstances  of  the  moment  shall  dictate  to  you.  Or  if  this 
gentleman  should  be  an  attendant  on  the  officer  aforemen 
tioned,  you  may  refuse  to  admit  him  at  your  conference. 
In  the  first  case  you  may  either  return  with  the  proceed 
ings,  &c.  or  you  may  write  to  Sir  Guy  Carleton  that  you 
will  wait  a  given  time  for  an  officer,  agreeable  to  the  pur 
port  of  my  letter  to  him  of  the  30th  of  last  month. 

Given  at  head-quarters,  Newburgh,  August  3d,  1782. 

(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON." 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  our  General  received 
the  following  letter  from  the  Commander  in  Chief: 


315 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  August  3d,  1782. 
"DEAR  SIR, 

By  the  contents  of  Sir  Guy  Carleton's  letter,  which  came 
inclosed  in  yours  of  this  day,  I  find  it  is  unnecessary  for 
you  to  proceed  to  Phillips's  house.  Disappointed  in  not 
obtaining  a  passport  for  Mr.  Chief  Justice  Smith  to  come 
out,  he  will  not,  he  says,  trouble  an  officer  of  your  rank  to 
be  the  bearer  of  a  bundle  of  papers  only;  but  adds,  they 
shall  be  sent  out  in  the  ordinary  course  of  conveyance. 
Your  letter  to  Col.  Trumbull,  covering  the  new  adopted 
system  of  issues,  &c.  is  received. 

(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

Not  long  after,  the  proceedings  of  the  Court-Martial  on 
Capt.  Lippincott  for  the  murder  of  Capt.  Huddy  were 
sent  out;  Lippincott  was  acquitted  by  the  Court,  and  it 
appeared  that  the  British  Commanders  in  Chief,  both  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  and  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  disapproved  the 
act.  It  seemed  that  a  kind  of  Board  of  Directors  who  had 
a  subordinate  direction  of  the  refugee  operations,  were 
somehow  concerned  in  this  business,  and  that  argument 
and  some  artifice  were  necessary  to  smooth  it  over.  How 
ever,  Gen.  Washington,  painful  as  his  task  was,  was  not  to 
be  diverted  from  justice  or  retaliation ;  but  execution  was 
suspended.  Lady  Asgill,  learning  the  unhappy  situation 
of  her  darling  son,  with  much  policy,  and  equal  success, 
applied  to  the  Count  de  Vergennes,  then  Prime  Minister 
of  France,  who  spread  the  matter  before  the  King  and 
Queen :  indeed,  it  was  a  subject  that  needed  no  extra  colour 
ing  to  fix  it  on  the  mind  of  humanity.  The  King  and  Queen 
listened  to  the  request,  and  Congress  was  addressed  in  a 
representation,  that  the  French,  as  well  as  American  arms, 
were  victorious  at  York,  and  that  the  former  seemed  to 
have  some  share  in  the  prisoners ;  and  hinted  that  it  would 
be  pleasing  to  the  French  Court  if  young  Asgill  was  par 
doned — which  Congress  complied  with ;  and  although  rep- 


316 

aration  for  the  wanton  murder  of  Capt.  Huddy  was  not 
fully  obtained,  yet  it  is  highly  probable,  that  the  firm  and 
determined  conduct  of  Gen.  Washington  on  the  occasion 
put  a  final  stop  to  any  further  repetition  of  the  kind. 

Sir  Guy  Carleton  was  probably  the  greatest  General 
which  the  British  had  in  America  during  the  war,  and  it 
was  fortunate  for  the  Americans  that  he  was  so  long  kept 
within  the  limits  of  Canada.  In  him  were  combined  many 
of  those  great  qualifications  which  form  the  General. 

When  Sir  Guy  visited  the  American  prisoners  in  con 
finement  in  Canada,  he  addressed  them  with  all  the  tender 
ness  of  a  father;  he  observed  to  the  young  prisoners  that 
he  did  not  blame  them,  it  was  the  fault  of  the  designing 
men  of  their  country  that  had  led  them  into  difficulty ;  that 
he  would  not  hold  them  in  confinement,  but  would  send 
them  home  to  their  fathers  and  friends.  See  here  the 
soothing  art  that  could  not  fail  to  cool  the  ardour  of  the 
young  warrior  in  the  cause  of  his  country. 

To  Gen.  Waterbury  of  Connecticut,  when  he  shewed  him 
his  commission,  Sir  Guy  observed,  "Your  commission  is 
from  the  proper  authority  of  your  Colony  (Connecticut 
had  not  changed  her  form  of  government) ;  you  are  no 
rebel,  Sir;  you  shall  go  home  to  your  family." 

Soon  after  Sir  Guy  Carleton  came  into  the  command  at 
New  York,  a  Connecticut  soldier,  who  had  been  a  prisoner, 
came  out  to  our  army,  and  requested  a  pass  to  go  home, 
informing  that  he  had  given  a  parole  to  Sir  Guy  not  to 
serve  again  during  the  war;  but  he  was  ordered  to  join  his 
regiment,  which  disappointed  the  soldier  exceedingly. 
Gen.  Washington  ordered  the  Commissary  of  Prisoners  to 
credit  the  British  for  one  man  exchanged;  and  informed 
Sir  Guy  that  this  practice  would  not  be  allowed.  Many 
soldiers  were  at  that  time  very  uneasy  in  the  American 
army — had  a  conduct  of  this  sort  been  allowed,  many  sol 
diers  on  the  out-posts  and  otherwise,  might  have  gone  to 
the  enemy,  have  pretended  they  were  taken,  and  have  come 
out  under  parole  and  have  gone  home,  to  the  unspeakable 


317 


injury  of  the  army,  but  it  was  nipped  in  the  bud — only  one 
other  having  come  out  in  the  same  way  before  it  was  put  a 
stop  to. 

We  now  return  to  take  up  the  chain  of  events  from  which 
we  digressed. 

The  20th  of  April,  two  prisoners  of  war,  taken  near 
King  Street,  were  sent  up  by  Major  Oliver.1 

21st. — A  Sergeant-Major  deserted  and  came  out;  he  re 
ported  that  an  enterprise  was  contemplating  at  New  York 
and  a  number  of  large  boats  were  collecting  at  Turtle 
Bay. 

24th. — Two  deserters  came  in  from  the  Adamant  man- 
of-war,  of  50  guns,  which  lay  in  the  East  River,  against 
New  York.  Admiral  Digby's  flag  was  then  hoisted  on  board 
the  Centurion.  The  seamen  on  board  the  ships  very  sickly. 

The  latter  end  of  April,  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  packet, 
Capt.  Dashwood,  arrived  at  New  York,  in  six  weeks  from 
England  with  the  March  mail,  by  which  it  was  learnt  that 
the  debates  in  the  British  Parliament  on  the  American 
war,  grew  more  and  more  interesting;  that  a  motion  had 
been  made  by  Gen.  Con  way,  for  bringing  in  a  bill,  empower 
ing  the  King  to  make  peace  with  America. 

The  beginning  of  May,  the  British  cruisers  were  very 
successful  against  the  Americans;  eleven  sail  of  vessels 
from  Philadelphia  were  taken  and  carried  into  New  York 
with  near  9000  barrels  of  flour. 

May  4th. — This  evening  exhibited  the  most  extraordi 
nary  aurora  borealis  ever  before  seen  by  those  who  ob 
served  it. 

5th. — It  was  learnt  that  the  merchants  of  Edinburgh  at 
a  meeting  on  the  7th  of  the  preceding  January,  declared 
and  published  their  sentiments  and  wishes  for  peace  with 
America  and  a  renewal  of  friendship.  It  was  also  further 
learnt  that  it  was  the  prevailing  sense  of  the  British  House 
of  Commons,  as  a  first  step  to  an  accommodation  with 
America,  to  change  the  mode  of  carrying  on  the  war,  and 

'Robert  Oliver,  3rd  Massachusetts. 


318 

to  act  only  on  the  defensive,  on  the  Continent ;  and  that  the 
person  Avho  should  advise  to  offensive  operations  against 
the  Americans,  should  be  considered  as  an  enemy  to  the 
King  and  nation.  At  the  same  time,  France  and  Holland 
appeared  to  be  making  great  preparations  for  a  vigorous 
campaign. 

6th. — Symptoms  of  a  dangerous  mutiny  were  discovered 
in  the  Connecticut  line;  it  had  been  conducted  with  so 
much  address  as  to  have  been  nearly  matured  before  it  was 
divulged.  Under  the  pressure  of  real  or  supposed  griev 
ances,  the  soldiers  of  the  whole  line  had  determined  at 
reveille  the  next  morning  to  have  marched  from  their  can 
tonment  with  arms,  &c.  complete,  for  Pishkill,  where  they 
were  to  take  a  number  of  field- pieces  and  such  ammunition 
and  provisions  as  might  be  necessary  and  then  proceed  to 
Hartford  and  there  demand  of  their  new  General  Assembly 
that  justice  which  they  supposed  was  their  due.  Just  as  the 
officers  were  going  to  bed,  a  faithful  soldier  who  was  waiter 
to  an  officer  came  to  his  room,  and  told  the  officer  that  he 
could  not  go  to  rest  until  he  divulged  to  him  an  event  which 
would  assuredly  take  place  the  next  morning  at  break  of 
day ;  and  that  everything  was  then  in  readiness  for  it — and 
laid  open  the  whole  secret.  The  matter  was  immediately 
communicated  to  the  principal  officers  of  the  line,  and  sev 
eral  soldiers  were  seized  and  confined,  and  one  suffered. 
The  whole  design  was  frustrated.  Mutiny  is  a  most  horrid 
offence  in  an  army,  which,  without  strict  order  and  disci- 
pline,  is  but  a  rope  of  sand.  On  the  other  hand,  human 
nature  can  bear  but  to  a  certain  degree,  and  no  further; 
hence  any  trial  of  human  nature,  beyond  such  a  degree,  is 
impolitic,  and  unjustifiable.  Of  this  line,  it  may  with  strict 
justice  be  said,  that  their  whole  conduct  through  the  war 
was  highly  meritorious. 

7th. — A  stop  was  put  to  the  inoculation  with  the  small 
pox. 

8th. — A  prisoner  was  sent  up,  and  a  deserter  came  in. 
9th. — News  was  received  that  there  had  been  a  total 


319 

change  of  the  British  Ministry,  and  that  Fort  St.  Philip 
and  the  whole  island  of  Minorca  surrendered  to  the  Span 
iards  on  the  6th  of  the  preceding  February,  by  capitula 
tion. 

15th. — Eleven  trusty  Sergeants  were  sent  to  Massachu 
setts  to  march  on  the  recruits  to  the  army  from  that  State. 

17th. — Two  deserters  came  in,  who  reported  that  a  packet 
had  arrived  at  New  York  from  England. 

24th. — Near  100  old  and  decrepit  soldiers  were  collected 
from  the  different  regiments,  and  many  of  them  dis 
charged.  About  this  time  a  packet  arrived  at  Boston  in 
25  days'  passage  from  France;  the  letters  were  immedi 
ately  forwarded  to  Congress. 

26th. — The  1st  Massachusetts  brigade  was  ordered  to 
move  out  of  its  cantonment  and  encamp  near  the  German 
Huts. 

The  United  States  of  Holland  acknowledged  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  the  28th  of  the 
preceding  March. 

There  was  a  great  talk  of  peace  in  New  York. 

In  the  American  army  great  preparations  for  some  time 
had  been  making  to  celebrate  the  birth  of  the  Dauphin  of 
France.  At  least  1000  men  a  day  were  employed,  under  the 
direction  of  the  engineers  and  other  artists,  in  constructing 
a  most  superb  arbor,  decorated  with  every  emblem  and 
device  descriptive  of  the  occasion,  and  the  alliance  between 
France  and  America,  which  ingenuity  could  invent;  and 
perhaps  for  any  thing  of  the  kind,  constructed  in  the  field, 
was  never  surpassed. 

31st. — The  birth  of  the  Dauphin  of  France  was  cele 
brated  by  the  American  army.  An  elegant  dinner  was 
provided  by  order  of  the  Commander  in  Chief,  of  which 
the  officers  of  the  army  and  a  great  number  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  invited  from  the  adjacent  country,  partook. 
Thirteen  toasts  were  drank,  announced  by  the  discharge 
of  cannon.  At  evening  there  was  a  grand  feu-de-joy, 
opened  by  the  discharge  of  thirteen  cannon,  three  times 


320 

repeated.  The  feu-de-joy,  being  fired  in  the  dusk,  had  a 
pleasing  appearance  to  the  eye,  as  well  as  the  ear,  and  was 
so  ordered  for  that  purpose.  The  army  was  not  formed  in 
line,  but  each  brigade  was  drawn  up  in  front  of  its  own 
cantonment,  or  camp,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  thus 
were  in  a  circle  of  several  miles  circumference,  in  the  cen 
tre  of  which  the  Commander  in  Chief  and  the  spectators 
were  placed.  After  the  feu-de-joy  there  was  an  exhibition 
of  fire- works,  &c. 

June  2d. — Information  was  received  that  the  Island  of 
New  Providence  and  its  dependencies  were  taken  by  the 
Spaniards  on  the  llth  of  the  preceding  May.  The  garri 
son,  which  consisted  of  about  200  men,  were  sent  to 
Europe.  The  new  frigate  South  Carolina,  built  in  Europe, 
arrived  about  this  time  in  the  Delaware;  she  was  an  ex 
ceeding  fine  ship,  mounting  28  42-pounders  on  one  deck, 
and  12  12-pounders  on  her  quarter  and  fore-castle.  She 
was  commanded  by  Commodore  Gillon. 

There  had  been  a  bloody  engagement  in  the  West  Indies 
the  12th  of  the  preceding  April,  between  the  Count  de 
Grasse  and  Admiral  Rodney;  but  all  the  accounts  had  been 
very  vague.  The  British  now  published  their  account,  and 
that  they  took  from  the  French  the  Ville  de  Paris,  of  110 
guns,  and  1300  men ;  Le  Glorleux,  Le  Cesar,  and  Le  Hector, 
of  74  guns  each ;  and  Le  Ardent,  of  64  guns,  and  sunk  one 
ship  of  the  line.  They  acknowledged  to  have  had  236  men 
killed,  and  779  wounded;  among  whom  were  several  offi 
cers.  They  also  boasted  of  having  obtained  a  very  signal 
advantage  in  the  European  seas,  over  Admiral  Kempelfelt. 

5th. — It  was  reported  that  a  French  fleet  had  been  seen 
on  the  American  coast.  A  fleet  about  this  time  sailed  from 
New  York  eastward  through  the  Sound,  conjectured  to  be 
destined  to  Penobscot.  The  brigades  of  the  American  army 
daily  manoeuvred,  and  fired  to  great  acceptation. 

14th. — The  British  had  been  removing  a  number  of  heavy 
cannon  and  ordnance  stores  from  their  works  at  the  north 


321 

end  of  New  York  island,  and  placing  light  pieces  in  the 
room  of  them.    A  number  of  deserters  daily  came  in. 

24th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  sent  the  following  letter 
to  our  General : 

HEAD-QUARTERS,,  NEWBURG  June  24th,  1782. 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

I  am  at  this  moment  setting  out  for  Albany  and  shall  be 
absent  a  few  days.  I  give  you  this  information  for  the  reg 
ulation  of  your  own  conduct;  and  request,  in  the  meantime, 
you  will  give  me  any  intelligence  you  may  receive  which 
you  shall  deem  of  sufficient  consequence  for  communica 
tion  bv  express. 

(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON. 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

26th. — It  was  learnt  from  Canada,  that  several  armed 
vessels  and  a  number  of  batteaux  had  come  up  Lake  Cham- 
plain  ;  there  were  probably  about  300  men.  A  much  larger 
force,  (report  said  3000)  was  gone  or  going  towards  Lake 
Ontario,  to  establish  a  post  at  Oswego. 

27th. — Another  ship  came  up  the  North  River  and  took 
a  station  near  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek. 

July  2d. — The  Commander  in  Chief  returned  from  Al 
bany. 

4th. — The  army  fired  a  grand  feu-de-joy,  it  being  the  an 
niversary  of  the  declaration  of  American  Independence. 

llth. — At  evening,  the  Commander  in  Chief  wrote  our 
General  the  following  letter: 

"DEAR  SIR,  HEAD-QUARTERS,  July  llth,  1782. 

I  have  at  this  moment  received  a  letter  from  Count  de 
Rochambeau,  (by  one  of  his  Aids,  in  5  days  from  Williams- 
burg)  informing  me  that  he  is  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia; 
that  he  will  be  there  the  13th  or  14th,  and  wishes  for  an  in 
terview  with  me;  for  this  purpose  I  shall  set  out  in  the 
morning,  very  early,  and  have  only  to  request  your  usual 

attention. 

(Signed)     G.  WASHINGTON. 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 


322 

13th. — Two  prisoners  of  war  were  sent  up,  and  three 
German  deserters  came  in,  and  the  next  day  a  dra 
goon  with  his  horse,  &c.  complete.  About  this  time  the 
southern  mail  was  taken  between  Philadelphia  and  Morris- 
town. 

18th. — It  was  learnt  that  on  the  21st  of  the  preceding 
May,  Gen.  Wayne  obtained  a  considerable  advantage  over 
the  enemy,  with  very  little  loss  on  his  side,  near  Ogeechee, 
in  Georgia ;  the  enemy  retired  into  Savannah.  About  this 
time,  a  Corporal  and  8  men  deserted  from  our  block-house 
at  Dobbs'  Ferry. 

21st. — Three  deserters  came  in.  About  this  time  a  fleet 
of  about  40  sail  arrived  at  Sandy  Hook  under  convoy  of 
two  frigates ;  they  were  supposed  to  be  from  Ireland. 

22d. — Three  deserters  came  in  from  the  British  grena 
diers;  two  others  deserted  at  the  same  time,  but  had  not 
got  in.  The  same  day  four  deserters  came  in  from  the 
Hussar  frigate,  and  the  next  day  three  soldiers.  At  this 
time  the  cow  thieves  and  refugees  were  lurking  in  the 
Highlands,  and  detachments  were  sent  out  to  patrol  them. 

26th. — Information  was  received  that  a  party  of  the 
enemy  to  the  number  of  4  or  500  had  appeared  on  the  Mo 
hawk  River,  advancing  towards  Herkimer.  They  killed  a 
Continental  soldier. 

27th. — Gen.  Washington  returned  to  Newburgh  from 
Philadelphia. 

August  2d. — The  British  May  and  June  packets  had  ar 
rived  at  New  York.  Admiral  Barrington  had  taken  a 
French  man-of-war  of  74  guns,  and  several  transports  des 
tined  for  the  East  Indies.  The  next  day  it  was  learnt  that 
a  French  fleet,  consisting  of  12  or  13  sail  of  the  line,  and 
3  frigates,  had  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake. 

On  the  29th  ult.  a  bloody  engagement  took  place  off  the 
Chesapeake  between  the  French  frigate  Amazone  of  36 
guns,  and  the  British  frigate  Margaretta,  which  terminated 
in  favour  of  the  latter. 

6th. — Information  was  received  that  the  British  had 
evacuated  Savannah  in  Georgia. 


323 

8th. — Four  deserters  came  in  from  the  enemy. 

10th. — The  prospect  of  an  approaching  peace  brightened. 
Gen.  Sir  Guy  Carleton  and  Admiral  Digby  informed  Gen. 
Washington  that  Mr.  Grenville  had  gone  over  to  France 
on  the  negotiation  for  peace,  and  that  the  independence 
of  America  was  to  be  acknowledged  previous  to,  or  as  an 
opening  of  the  negotiation.  The  refugees  at  New  York 
were  greatly  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  peace.  Sir  Guy 
Carleton  had  notified  the  inhabitants  to  meet  him ;  and,  in 
Rivington's  paper  of  the  7th,  there  appeared  a  proclama 
tion  advising  the  refugees  to  continue  their  loyalty  and 
make  themselves  easy  until  the  event  of  the  negotiation  was 
known. 

12th. — A  large  stone  magazine,  capable  of  containing 
1000  barrels  of  gun  powder,  was  begun  to  be  erected  on 
Constitution  Island;  it  was  built  upon  the  principles  of 
Monsieur  Vauban,  and  under  the  direction  of  Maj.  Ville- 
franche. 

15th. — It  was  learnt  that  the  French  fleet,  which  had 
been  at  the  Chesapeake,  had  arrived  at  Boston.  The  Brit 
ish  troops  evacuated  Savannah  the  llth  of  July,  leaving 
the  town  and  works  uninjured.  Previous  to  the  evacua 
tion,  the  refugees  sent  out  to  Gen.  Wayne,  to  know  if  they 
might  depend  on  protection  in  their  persons  and  property ; 
they  were  answered  in  the  affirmative,  until  they  were  de 
livered  over  to  the  civil  authority,  Avho,  they  were  informed, 
must  decide  on  their  case.  When  the  British  left  the  town 
near  200  of  the  inhabitants  immediately  entered  the  Ameri 
can  service  in  the  Georgia  battalion. 

19th. — Three  prisoners  of  war  were  sent  up ;  they  were 
taken  near  East  Chester.  Several  deserters  came  in  about 
the  same  time. 

22d. — The  light  infantry  of  the  American  army  moved 
down,  and  encamped  near  Peek's  Kill. 

24th. — Maj.  Gen.  Knox  was  in  the  general  orders  ap 
pointed  to  the  command  of  West  Point.  The  artillery, 
sappers  and  miners,  10th  Massachusetts  regiment,  and  the 
corps  of  invalids,  for  the  garrison. 


324 


From  the  25th  to  the  27th,  inclusive,  7  deserters  came 
in;  they  reported  that  the  sick  of  the  British  army  were 
ordered  to  be  sent  on  board  the  hospital  ships,  and  not  to 
the  hospitals  on  shore.  The  heavy  baggage  was  also  or 
dered  to  be  put  on  board  the  shipping ;  the  officers  to  retain 
on  shore  no  more  than  what  was  of  absolute  necessity. 

29th. — An  order  of  encampment  and  battle  for  the 
American  army  was  published.  The  army  was  to  encamp 
in  one  line  with  a  reserve;  the  New  Jersey  and  New  York 
troops  were  to  form  a  division  under  the  command  of  Maj. 
Gen.  St.  Glair ;  the  Connecticut  troops,  a  division  under  Maj. 
Gen.  M'Dougal ;  these  two  divisions  to  form  the  right  wing, 
to  be  commanded  by  Maj.  Gen.  Gates;  the  New  Hampshire 
brigade  and  the  first  brigade  of  Massachusetts,  to  form  a 
division  under  the  command  of  Maj.  Gen.  Lord  Stirling; 
the  2d  and  3d  Massachusetts  brigades,  a  division  under  the 
command  of  Maj.  Gen.  Howe;  these  two  divisions  forming 
the  left  wing  under  the  command  of  Maj.  Gen.  Heath.  The 
2d  Connecticut  and  3d  Massachusetts  brigades  to  form  the 
reserve;  and  when  the  ground  would  admit,  form  at  200 
paces  in  the  rear  of  the  army.  Maj.  Gen.  Lord  Stirling  was 
ordered  to  Albany  to  take  command  of  that  part  of  his  di 
vision  which  was  then  in  that  quarter. 

31st. — As  many  of  the  army  as  could  be  carried  in  the 
boats  embarked  at  their  respective  brigade  landings,  and 
the  whole  of  the  boats  being  formed  in  order,  fell  down  the 
river  to  Verplank's  Point,  where  the  troops  disembarked 
and  encamped.  They  made  a  most  beautiful  appearance 
when  in  the  boats  and  in  motion.  The  remainder  of  the 
army  marched  down  by  land. 

September  1st. — Information  was  received  that  the  Brit 
ish  were  on  the  eve  of  evacuating  Charleston,  South  Caro 
lina.  The  season  was  remarkably  dry,  both  to  the  eastward 
and  southward ;  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  army  could 
obtain  a  supply  of  water.  About  this  time  an  embarkation 
of  Hessian  troops  took  place  at  New  York. 

7th. — There  was  a  grand  review  and  manoeuvre  of  the 
army,  which  gave  great  satisfaction.  The  July  packet 


325 

arrived  at  New  York  about  this  time ;  it  appeared  that  the 
Marquis  of  Rockingham  had  died,  that  Mr.  Fox  and  Lord 
Cavendish  had  resigned  their  places,  and  that  Lord  Shel- 
burne  was  appointed  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  State. 

14th. — The  American  army  was  under  arms  to  receive 
Gen.  Count  de  Rochambeau ;  after  his  reception,  the  army 
denied  before  him,  and  returned  to  their  respective  encamp 
ments.  The  French  army  was  now  arriving  from  the 
southward ;  they  encamped  to  the  south  of  Peek's  Kill  as 
they  arrived. 

16th. — The  enemy  made  a  grand  forage  near  Valentine's 
Hill ;  Sir  Guy  Carleton  was  out  in  person,  as  was  the  young 
prince.  The  covering  party,  it  was  said,  consisted  of  5  or 
6000  men ;  a  number  deserted.  The  American  army  at  this 
time  was  in  great  want  of  forage,  occasioned  by  the  dry 
season. 

18th. — The  last  of  the  French  army  arrived. 

20th. — Gen.  Washington  reviewed  the  French  army ;  the 
troops  made  a  fine  appearance.  A  French  frigate  had  been 
run  on  shore  in  the  Delaware  and  taken  by  the  enemy. 

21st. — The  American  army  manoeuvred  before  the  Com 
mander  in  Chief,  Gen.  Rochambeau,  and  many  other  offi 
cers.  The  troops  made  a  handsome  appearance  and  ma 
noeuvred  well. 

22d. — It  was  learnt  that  the  ships  of  war  and  transports 
at  New  York  were  watering  and  preparing  for  sea,  and  a 
number  of  regiments  were  under  orders  for  embarkation. 
A  little  before  this  time,  Congress  had  authorized  and  em 
powered  Gen.  Washington  to  adjust  and  finally  settle  the 
accounts  subsisting  between  the  United  States  and  the 
British  government  respecting  the  support  of  the  prisoners 
of  war  on  both  sides;  and  to  provide,  by  a  general  cartel, 
for  their  greater  comfort  and  exchange,  under  the  great  seal 
ratifying  what  he,  the  Commander  in  Chief  of  their  army, 
should  agree  to.  Gen.  Washington  transferred  this  power 
to  Major-Generals  Heath  and  Knox,  whom  he  appointed 
Commissioners  for  the  purpose,  and  instructed  them  not  to 
proceed  to  business  unless  the  British  Commissioners  were 


326 

found  to  be  equally  empowered  to  bring  the  business  to  a 
final  issue. 

The  time  and  place  of  meeting  were  agreed  to  by  the 
two  Commanders  in  Chief,  and  was  to  be  on  the  25th  of 
September,  at  Tappan. 

24th. — The  American  Commissioners  sent  down  two  of 
their  Aids-de-Camp  to  take  up  the  necessary  quarters,  and 
make  other  preparations,  and  a  company  of  light  infantry 
was  ordered  to  Tappan  to  furnish  guards  and  centinels. 

25th. — The  American  Commissioners  embarked  on  board 
their  barges  at  King's  Ferry  and  fell  down  the  river  to 
Tappan  Landing,  where  they  arrived  about  2  o'clock,  P.  M. 
In  less  than  half  an  hour  the  British  Commissioners,  in  two 
vessels  wearing  flags,  came  up  the  river,  and  cast  anchor 
off  the  Landing.  The  American  Commissioners  waited  at 
the  shore,  and  sent  off  their  barges  to  aid  in  bringing  the 
British  Commissioners  on  shore,  the  river  being  at  that 
time  very  rough ;  on  their  reaching  shore,  it  was  found  that 
Lieut.  Gen.  Campbell  and  the  Hon.  Mr.  Elliot,  who  had 
been  Lieut.  Governor  of  New  York,  were  the  Commissioners 
on  the  part  of  the  British.  The  whole  dined  together,  an 
elegant  dinner  having  been  ordered  by  the  American  Com 
missioners,  and  politeness  and  great  sociability  took  place, 
and  mutual  arrangement  for  the  daily  support  of  the  table 
was  agreed  on,  as  it  was  expected  that  the  business  would 
not  be  completed  in  less  than  three  or  four  weeks,  if  the 
whole  object  was  adjusted. 

26th. — The  Commissioners  interchanged  copies  of  their 
respective  powers;  these  were  to  be  considered  until  the 
next  day,  when  answers  were  to  be  given  in  writing 
whether  the  powers  were  satisfactory  on  both  sides.  On 
examining  the  powers  given  to  the  British  Commissioners, 
it  appeared  that  their  doings  would  not  be  conclusive 
until  confirmed,  and  were  very  short  of  those  held  by  the 
American  Commissioners,  whose  agreement  and  signature 
were  to  be  final. 


327 

27th. — The  American  Commissioners  stated  to  the  Brit 
ish  Commissioners  that  the  powers  with  which  they  were 
vested  were  inadequate  to  effect  the  expectations  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States,  and  that  therefore  the  ne 
gotiation  must  be  broken  off.  Of  the  great  difference  of  the 
powers  the  British  Commissioners  were  fully  convinced. 
The  American  Commissioners  thought  it  to  be  their  duty 
when  they  gave  their  note  of  objections  to  the  British  del 
egated  powers,  to  hand  with  it  a  very  pointed  protest,  in 
behalf  of  the  United  States,  against  that  conduct  on  the 
part  of  the  British,  which  had  so  long  delayed  the  settle 
ment  of  the  accounts  for  the  support  of  the  prisoners  of 
war  which  were  in  the  power  of  the  United  States.  The 
Commissaries  of  Prisoners  on  both  sides  were  present,  to 
present  and  support  their  respective  accounts ;  and  a  settle 
ment  would  not  only  have  been  just,  but  also  very  interest 
ing  to  the  United  States. 

28th. — About  12  o'clock  at  noon  the  Commissioners 
parted  with  the  same  politeness  and  good  humour  with 
which  they  had  met,  and  which  had  invariably  continued 
during  the  time  they  were  together.  Our  General  sent  or 
ders  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Dobbs'  Ferry  to  permit 
the  British  flags  to  pass  down  the  river,  and  the  American 
Commissioners  returned  to  camp.  The  day  before,  (the 
27th)  Gen.  Washington,  covered  by  the  dragoons  and  light 
infantry,  reconnoitred  the  grounds  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  below  the  White  Plains,  and  on  the  29th,  about  noon, 
returned  to  camp. 

October  3d. — It  was  learnt  that  the  enemy  had  evacuated 
Lloyd's  Neck,  and  destroyed  their  works  at  that  place; 
their  works  at  Bergen  Point,  in  the  Jersies,  had  been  de 
stroyed  before  that  time. 

5th. — Maj.  Gen.  Gates  arrived  at  camp.  At  this  time  the 
horses  of  the  army  were  suffering  for  want  of  forage. 

6th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  the  southward  that 


328 

on  the  27th  of  August,  Col.  Laurens1  was  killed  in  a  skirm 
ish  Avith  the  enemy ;  the  loss  of  this  brave  young  officer  was 
much  regretted.  The  enemy,  previous  to  their  leaving 
Charleston,  desired  to  purchase  some  provisions,  and  Gen. 
Leslie  had  intimated  to  Gen.  Greene  that  if  this  could  not 
be  permitted,  he  must  take  the  provisions  by  force.  The 
former  being  denied,  the  latter  was  attempted,  and  Col. 
Laurens  fell;  24  or  25  others  were  killed,  wounded,  or 
taken  prisoners,  and  one  howitzer  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

7th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Maj.  Gen.  Lee  had 
died,  a  little  before,  at  Philadelphia;  he  had  just  before 
sold  his  estate  in  Virginia  for  £6,100  sterling. 

8th. — The  weather  beginning  to  grow  cold  and  blowing, 
all  the  bowers  (which  were  numerous  and  very  salutary, 
during  the  hot  season)  were  ordered  to  be  pulled  down  and 
removed,  to  prevent  accidents  by  fire,  and  to  admit  the  ben 
efit  of  the  sun. 

12th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  Europe  by  the  ar 
rival  of  a  vessel  in  34  days  from  Amsterdam,  that  the  nego 
tiation  for  peace  was  going  on,  and  that  additional  Min 
isters  and  Envoys  had  gone  to  attend ;  that  the  combined 
fleets  were  all  in  port;  that  the  siege  of  Gibraltar  was  con 
tinued,  and  that  there  had  been  an  obstinate  engagement 
in  the  East  Indies,  between  the  French  and  English  fleets, 
in  which  both  fleets  had  suffered  much,  but  no  ships  were 
taken  by  either  side.  The  insurrection  in  South  America 
had  been  quelled. 

15th. — A  new  contract  for  supplying  the  army  with  pro 
visions,  under  Messrs.  Wadsworth  and  Carter,  took  place. 

16th. — A  grand  manoeuvre  was  performed  by  eight  picked 
battalions,  preparatory  to  a  grand  review,  which  was  to  be 
the  next  day. 

On  the  19th  (several  preceding  days  having  been  stormy) 
the  grand  mano3uvre  was  performed  by  the  eight  picked 
battalions.  The  evolutions  and  firings  were  performed 

1  John  Laurens. 


329 

with  regularity  and  exactness,  much  to  the  credit  of  the 
troops,  and  general  satisfaction  of  the  numerous  spectators 
of  the  American  and  French  armies. 

20th. — The  Secretary  of  War  arrived  at  camp.  The 
enemy  were  demolishing  their  works  at  No.  8,  Morrisania. 
Intelligence  was  received  that  the  besiegers  of  Gibraltar 
had  made  a  nearer  approach  to  the  place,  and  were  playing 
upon  it  with  200  pieces  of  artillery. 

22d. — The  first  division  of  the  French  army  moved  east 
ward  ;  they  were  to  halt  at  Hartford,  in  Connecticut,  where 
the  whole  were  to  rendezvous.  The  American  army  was 
put  under  orders  to  be  ready  to  move  at  the  shortest  notice. 
The  August  packet  from  England  arrived  at  New  York  the 
day  before. 

24th. — The  whole  American  army  manoeuvred  before  the 
Hon.  the  Secretary  of  War.  The  Commander  in  Chief,  in 
the  orders  of  the  day,  expressed  his  own  as  well  as  the  Sec 
retary  of  War's  fullest  approbation. 

26th. — At  reveille,  the  left  wing  of  the  American  army, 
under  the  command  of  our  General,  struck  their  tents  and 
marched  from  the  encampment  as  far  as  the  wood  near  the 
north  redoubt,  in  the  Highlands,  where  they  remained  dur 
ing  the  night ;  the  day  and  night  were  rainy,  and  the  troops 
had  no  covering  but  the  heavens. 

27th. — The  troops  crossed  the  Hudson  in  boats  to  West 
Point,  the  whole  having  crossed  by  half  past  12  o'clock.  In 
the  afternoon,  the  troops  took  up  their  line  of  march,  and 
ascended  Butter  Hill,  a  tedious  march,  and  halted  and 
passed  the  night  on  the  northern  descent  of  the  hill,  in  the 
open  field. 

28th. — At  7  o'clock  A.  M.  the  troops  resumed  their  march 
from  Butter  Hill,  and  reached  the  ground  on  which  they 
were  to  build  their  huts,  in  New  Windsor,  at  about  half 
past  10  o'clock,  A.  M.  Upon  this  ground,  and  its  vkinity, 
the  army  passed  the  ensuing  winter.  The  cantonment,  for 
its  nature  and  kind,  was  regular  and  beautiful.  Upon  an 
eminence,  the  troops  erected  a  building  handsomely  fin- 


330 

ished,  with  a  spacious  hall,  sufficient  to  contain  a  brigade  of 
troops  on  Lord's  days,  for  public  worship,  with  an  orches 
tra  at  one  end;  the  vault  of  the  hall  was  arched;  at  each 
end  of  the  hall  were  two  rooms,  conveniently  situated  for 
the  issuing  of  the  general  orders,  for  the  sitting  of  Boards 
of  Officers,  Courts  Martial,  &c.  and  an  office  and  store  for 
the  Quarter-Master  and  Commissary  departments.  On  the 
top  was  a  cupola  and  flag-staff,  on  which  a  flag  was  hoisted 
occasionally  for  signals,  &c.  In  this  cantonment  the  army 
spent  the  winter  very  comfortably,  and  it  proved  to  be 
their  last  winter  quarters. 

30th. — It  was  learnt  that  on  the  26th  or  27th,  fourteen 
British  men-of-war  of  the  line,  one  44  gun  ship,  seven  frig 
ates,  three  large  transports,  and  ten  or  twelve  brigs  and 
schooners  sailed  from  New  York,  it  was  conjectured  for 
the  West  Indies.  They  were  observed  to  sail  nearer  under 
Long  Island  than  usual,  and  came  to  near  the  place  where 
Gen.  Howe  landed  in  the  year  1776,  where  it  was  conjec 
tured  troops  now  embarked. 

On  the  7th  of  the  preceding  August,  Congress  passed  res 
olutions  directing  the  Secretary  of  War,  on  or  before  the 
1st  day  of  January  following,  to  cause  the  non-commis 
sioned  officers  and  privates  belonging  to  the  lines  of  the 
several  States,  to  be  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form 
complete  regiments,  agreeable  to  the  acts  of  Congress  of 
the  3d  and  21st  of  October,  1780,  of  regiments  of  not  less 
than  500  rank  and  file,  the  junior  regiments  to  be  drafted 
to  fill  the  senior  regiments.  The  regiments  so  formed  to  be 
completely  officered;  the  officers  to  agree  and  determine 
who  should  stay  in  service;  or  if  this  could  not  be  effected 
by  agreement,  the  juniors  who  were  supernumerary  of  each 
grade  were  to  retire,  retaining  their  rank,  and  be  entitled  to 
the  emoluments  to  which  the  officers  were  entitled  who  re 
tired  under  the  resolutions  of  the  3d  and  21st  of  October, 
1780.  In  consequence  of  these  resolutions,  the  Commander 
in  Chief  on  this  day  (30th  of  Oct. )  ordered  the  regiments  of 
the  Massachusetts  line  to  be  reduced  to  8  regiments  of  500 


331 

rank  and  file  each,  or  as  near  as  could  be  to  that  number ; 
and  the  Connecticut  line  to  3  regiments  of  similar  strength, 
with  3  Field  Officers,  9  Captains,  19  Subalterns,  1  Surgeon, 
and  1  Mate  each ;  and  the  regiments  were  formed  accord 
ingly. 

November  1st. — It  was  learnt  from  Europe  that  the 
Royal  George,  a  first-rate  English  man-of-war,  of  110  guns, 
had  been  overset  near  Spithead  by  a  sudden  flaw  of  wind  as 
she  lay  heeled  to  repair  a  leak  on  the  other  side;  that  she 
sunk  in  about  8  minutes,  having  on  board  12  or  1300  souls, 
about  900  of  whom  perished. 

5th. — Our  General  left  the  army,  and  commenced  his 
journey  to  the  eastward,  and  arrived  at  his  house  in  Rox- 
bury  on  the  llth. 

12th. — There  was  a  transit  of  Mercury  over  the  north 
west  limb  of  the  sun's  disk.  The  preceding  week,  one  of  the 
French  men-of-war  in  Portsmouth  harbour,  (N.  H.)  was 
struck  by  lightning  and  her  foremast  damaged.  The  French 
army  were  now  on  their  march  towards  Boston. 

The  America,  a  fine  new  74  gun  ship,  the  first  of  her  rate 
built  in  the  United  States,  and  which  had  not  long  before 
been  presented  by  Congress  to  his  most  Christian  Majesty, 
was  launched  at  Portsmouth  on  Tuesday,  the  5th  instant. 

18th. — The  field  artillery  of  the  French  army  reached 
Boston.  The  same  day  it  was  reported  that  the  British 
troops  had  left  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

21st. — The  French  discharged  their  artillery  horses  to 
the  number  of  several  hundreds. 

27th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  Spain  that  the 
British  had  relieved  Gibraltar  and  taken  a  Spanish  70  gun 
ship;  several  of  their  gun-boats  were  also  destroyed.  Had 
Spain  long  before  this  given  over  the  siege  of  Gibraltar  and 
employed  her  naval  and  land  forces  against  the  British 
in  some  quarter  more  vulnerable,  solid  advantage  might 
have  accrued,  much  money  and  many  lives  have  been  saved. 


332  [1782 

28th. — General  Thanksgiving  throughout  the  United 
States.  The  French  fleet,  under  the  command  of  the  Mar 
quis  de  Vaudreuil,  was  at  this  time  in  Nantasket  Road,  ex 
cept  a  few  ships  which  were  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp 
shire. 

December  2d. — Maj.  Gen.  Baron  Viomenil,  commander 
of  the  French  army,  (Count  Rochambeau  not  coming  this, 
way)  arrived  at  Boston  from  Providence.  The  troops  were 
coming  forward  in  divisions,  at  one  day's  march  distance 
from  each  other.  The  first  division  arrived  at  Boston  on 
the  5th  in  the  morning. 

6th. — In  the  morning,  a  ship  lying  in  Boston  harbour, 
laden  with  masts,  destined  to  the  West  Indies,  by  some  ac 
cident  took  fire  and  burnt  down  to  the  water's  edge;  the 
loss  was  very  considerable.  Advice  was  received  from  Eu 
rope  that  the  Commissioners  for  settling  peace  were  sitting 
at  Paris;  that  matters  were  in  forwardness;  several  arti 
cles  had  been  agreed  to,  &c.  A  reinforcement  of  French 
ships  and  troops  had  arrived  in  the  West  Indies  from 
France.  This  day  the  last  division  of  the  French  army 
reached  Boston.  These  troops  embarked  on  board  the  men- 
of-war,  were  much  crowded,  and  in  danger  of  growing 
sickly  if  continued  long  on  board.  About  this  time,  the 
American  officers  had  been  very  uneasy  respecting  their 
great  arrears  of  pay,  &c.,  and  soon  after  addressed  Congress 
on  the  subject,  and  appointed  a  committee  from  the  army 
to  present  their  petition  and  support  it. 

llth. — The  town  of  Boston  presented  an  address  to  the 
French  General  and  officers. 

22d. — The  French  fleet  had  fallen  down  below  the  Castle 
and  were  in  readiness  to  proceed  to  sea.  The  markets  were 
at  this  time  extremely  high ;  flour  at  8  and  some  at  9  dol 
lars  per  hundred ;  butter  was  sold  at  2s.  ±d.  per  pound,  &c. 

24th. — His  most  Christian  Majesty's  fleet,  under  the 
command  of  the  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil,  came  to  sail  in 
King  and  Nantasket  Roads,  and  went  out  to  sea,  having  the 
army  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Viomenil  on  board.  The 


1783]  333 

fleet  was  first  to  stand  to  the  northward  until  it  was  joined 
by  the  ships  from  Portsmouth ;  they  were  then  to  tack  and 
stand  to  the  southward,  and  take  with  them  the  Fantasque, 
armed  en-flute  from  Rhode  Island,  and  proceed  to  the  West 
Indies. 

25th. — It  was  learnt  that  near  3000  refugee  inhabitants 
had  gone  from  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  to  Jamaica, 
and  about  the  same  number  to  Augustine.  The  exorbitant 
prices  of  provisions  fell  immediately  after  the  sailing  of 
the  French  fleet. 

26th. — Authentic  accounts  were  received  from  Europe 
that  Monsieur  de  la  Perreuse1,  in  the  ship  Sceptre,  with  two 
frigates,  had  returned  to  France  from  a  successful  enter 
prise  against  the  British  settlements  in  Hudson's  Bay, 
having  entirely  destroyed  the  establishments  and  property 
of  the  English  on  that  coast,  estimating  the  damage  at  ten 
millions  of  livres. 

31st. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  British  home 
ward-bound  West  India  fleet,  on  their  way  to  England, 
met  a  violent  storm,  in  which  two  74  gun  ships,  the  Ramil- 
lies  and  the  Centaur  were  said  to  have  foundered ;  and  that 
a  number  of  the  merchantmen  had  been  taken  by  French 
and  American  cruisers  and  carried  into  France — that  four 
prizes  had  been  taken  by  the  American  frigate  Alliance, 
Capt.  Barry,  having  1200  hhds.  of  sugar  and  400  hhds.  of 
rum  on  board. 

1783.  January  1st. — Intelligence  was  received  that  a 
terrible  fire  happened  in  the  city  of  Constantinople  in  the 
month  of  the  preceding  August,  in  which  a  large  part  of 
the  city  was  consumed  and  about  5000  lives  lost.  The  fire 
was  supposed  to  have  been  kindled  by  the  malefactors  in 
six  different  places. 

4th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Great  Britain  had 
acknowledged  the  independence  of  the  United  States,  col 
lectively  and  severally,  and  that  a  commission  had  been 
sent  to  Mr.  Oswald,  one  of  the  British  Commissioners  at 


334 

Paris,  to  treat  with  the  American  Commissioners  accord 
ingly. 

Some  further  accounts  of  the  terrible  fire  in  Constanti 
nople  stated  that  near  200,000  inhabitants  were  burnt  out 
of  their  habitations — that  the  fire  continued  to  burn  sixty- 
two  hours,  and  at  some  times  with  a  front  a  mile  in  width. 

8th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  Charleston  man- 
of-war,  belonging  to  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  a  remark 
able  fine  ship,  commanded  by  Commodore  Gillon,  was  taken 
by  the  British  and  carried  into  New  York. 

In  this  month  the  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts,  in  their 
several  religious  societies,  made  voluntary  contributions 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Charlestown,  to  enable 
them  to  rebuild  a  meeting-house  in  the  room  of  that  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  by  the  British  troops  during  the  bat 
tle  of  Bunker  Hill,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775. 

24th. — News  was  received  that  Maj.  Gen.  Lord  Stirling 
had  lately  died  at  Albany;  he  was  a  brave  officer  in  the 
American  army. 

25th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  British  troops 
left  Charleston,  in  South  Carolina,  the  14th  of  the  preced 
ing  December,  and  the  Bar  the  17th,  and  that  Gen.  Greene 
had  taken  possession  of  the  city.  It  had  been  previously 
agreed  that  the  Americans  would  not  molest  the  British 
in  quitting  the  place,  and  on  their  part  they  were  not  to 
injure  the  city. 

28th. — It  was  learnt  that  Gen.  Clark  had  been  very  suc 
cessful  against  the  Shawanese  Indians,  and  had  destroyed 
a  number  of  their  towns.  Prom  France  it  was  learnt  that 
though  there  was  the  greatest  prospect  of  peace,  yet  all  the 
powers  at  war  were  straining  every  nerve  to  be  prepared 
for  the  opening  of  the  next  campaign.  The  damage  sus 
tained  by  the  British  homeward-bound  West  India  fleet 
was  greater  than  at  first  supposed;  among  the  disabled 
ships  was  the  Ville  de  Paris  of  110  guns,  and  several  others. 

29th.— A  prize  ship,  taken  by  Capt.  Manly,  arrived  in 


335 

Boston  harbour,  having  about  1800  barrels  of  provisions 
on  board. 

February  5th. — News  was  received  that  the  British  had 
reinforced  the  garrison  at  Penobscot — that  the  whole  gar 
rison  consisted  of  nearly  900  men — that  a  further  reinforce 
ment  was  expected — and  that  the  British  were  endeavour 
ing  to  extend  their  influence  in  that  quarter. 

6th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  a  number  of  loyal 
ists  had  gone  from  New  York  to  Nova  Scotia;  that  Gov. 
Franklin,  in  England,  had  written  to  his  friends  in 
New  York  that  peace  would  certainly  take  place.  About 
this  time,  the  articles  of  a  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce 
between  the  United  States  of  America  and  Holland  was 
published  by  Congress.  In  the  month  of  the  preceding 
December,  Congress  passed  a  spirited  resolution  respect 
ing  the  conduct  of  the  government  of  Vermont,  and  about 
this  time  the  Council  of  Vermont  presented  to  Congress  a 
remonstrance  against  the  resolution  as  interfering  with 
their  internal  police. 

About  this  time  Gen.  Washington  and  Gen.  Sir  Guy 
Carleton  had  an  interview  on  the  lines  of  the  two  armies. 

20th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  Don  Solano,  with 
ten  sail  of  Spanish  men-of-war  had  arrived  at  the  Havan- 
nah,  and  that  the  Count  D'Estaing  had  arrived  with  a 
French  fleet  at  Martinique;  that  an  attack  on  the  island  of 
Jamaica  was  soon  expected  to  take  place,  in  consequence 
of  which  seven  British  regiments  were  to  go  from  New 
York  to  the  West  Indies.  The  refugees  at  New  York  were 
selling  off  their  effects  at  auction,  and  preparing  for  a  sud 
den  removal  to  Nova  Scotia. 

21st. — The  British  King's  speech  to  his  Parliament  ap 
peared  in  a  hand-bill.  The  speech  breathed  reconciliation 
throughout.  The  King  informed  his  Parliament  that  he 
had  gone  the  utmost  lengths  the  power  granted  to  him 
would  allow,  and  that  he  hoped  soon  to  lay  before  them 
the  articles  of  peace,  which  were  in  great  forwardness,  and 
such  as  he  apprehended  they  would  approve ;  that  he  hoped 


336 

the  two  countries  would  still  be  in  friendship — that  relig 
ion,  language,  interests,  &c.  urged  this — that  he  devoutly 
prayed  Great  Britain  might  not  experience  any  of  those 
calamities  which  might  be  feared  from  such  a  dismember 
ment  of  the  Empire,  and  then  extends  some  compassionate 
expressions  to  America.  Alas,  O  King !  it  might  have  been 
happy  for  both  countries  if  a  due  consideration  had  been 
early  exercised ;  then  might  much  blood  and  much  treasure 
have  been  saved.  Let  it  be  a  warning  to  other  nations  to 
be  wise  and  just !  Nature  will  have  her  own  way,  and  db 
her  own  work  in  her  own  time.  America,  of  course,  would 
be  independent  and  sovereign,  but  a  mistaken  policy  in 
Great  Britain  hurried  on  an  event  to  her  own  loss,  long 
before  nature  had  ripened  it  for  her  own  consummation. 
The  public  expectation  now  was  high,  and  the  period  when 
peace  should  be  announced  supposed  to  be  even  at  the  door, 
and  divers  premature  accounts  were  at  different  times  cir 
culated. 

25th. — It  was  learnt  that  Lieut.  Col.  Barber  of  the  New 
Jersey  line  had  a  little  before  been  killed,  together  with 
his  horse,  near  the  army,  by  the  unexpected  fall  of  a  tree 
which  a  soldier  was  cutting.  By  this  event  a  brave  officer 
and  valuable  citizen  was  lost,  who  had  frequently  dis 
tinguished  himself  in  action;  his  fall,  therefore,  in  this 
manner,  and  at  the  very  grasp  of  the  harvest  of  his  toils, 
was  rendered  the  more  affecting. 

27th. — Intelligence  was  received  from  Virginia  that  the 
House  of  Delegates  of  that  State  had  recommended  to  their 
constituents  not  to  choose  into  places  of  power  and  trust 
men  who  had  not  been  attached  to  the  cause  of  liberty, 
and  only  such  as  had  given  early  and  decided  proof  of  their 
friendship. 

28th. — It  was  found  that  the  British  cruisers  from  New 
York  had  taken  a  number  of  American  vessels,  among  them 
several  from  Boston  to  Virginia. 

March  3d. — Accounts  were  received  from  Europe  that 
in  an  assault  made  by  the  Spanish  troops  on  the  garrison 


337 

of  Gibraltar,  in  the  month  of  September,  the  besieged,  with 
their  cannon  loaded  with  grape-shot,  made  great  havoc 
among  the  assailants,  but  that  this  did  not  check  their 
ardor;  but  that  upon  a  near  approach  to  the  walls,  they 
were  stopped  and  thrown  into  great  confusion  by  several 
engines  throwing  scalding  water  upon  them.  Some  were 
scalded  almost  to  death,  and  others  had  their  eyes  put  out 
— a  new  mode  of  defence,  but  a  powerful  one. 

6th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  not  long  before,  the 
French  frigate  8ybille  had  been  taken  by  some  of  the  Brit 
ish  cruisers  and  carried  into  New  York. 

20th. — It  was  learnt  from  Philadelphia  that  the  Wash 
ington  packet,  Capt.  Barney,  had  arrived  at  that  place  from 
L'Orient  in  France,  which  place  she  left  the  17th  of  Janu 
ary.  The  public  dispatches  brought  by  this  vessel,  al 
though  they  did  not  announce  a  peace  to  be  concluded,  yet 
informed  that  the  negotiations  were  going  on ;  every  thing 
was  settled  between  America  and  Great  Britain,  and  mat 
ters  looked  favourable  towards  France;  but  difficulties 
were  subsisting  between  Great  Britain,  Spain  and  Holland. 
Several  of  the  outlines  of  the  articles  of  the  treaty  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  of  America  were  pub 
lished  and  in  general  were  thought  to  be  favourable  to  the 
latter.  The  same  packet  brought  dispatches  for  Gen.  Sir 
Guy  Oarleton  and  Admiral  Digby,  which  were  forwarded 
to  New  York. 

22d. — It  was  learnt  that  a  great  uneasiness  had  dis 
covered  itself  in  the  American  army,  on  account  of  the 
great  arrears  of  pay  which  was  due,  and  some  doubting 
apprehensions  as  to  the  real  intention  of  the  public  to  ful 
fil  their  promises  to  the  army,  and  in  particular  that  of 
half  pay.  An  anonymous  notification  and  two  addresses 
to  the  officers  made  their  appearance  about  ten  days  be 
fore,  couched  in  very  firm  and  decided  language ;  these  pro 
duced  an  address  from  the  Commander  in  Chief,  a  meeting 


338 

of  the  officers,  a  representation  to  Congress,  and  their  reso 
lutions  respecting  the  army  at  that  time. 

The  evening  of  the  28th  a  letter  was  received  from  Phila 
delphia  purporting  that  a  vessel  had  arrived  there  from 
Europe  with  the  intelligence  that  the  preliminary  articles 
of  peace  were  signed  on  the  20th  of  the  preceding  January. 
Hostilities  were  to  cease  in  Europe  the  20th  of  February, 
and  in  America  on  the  20th  of  this  month.  The  public  dis 
patches  had  not  now  arrived,  but  were  momently  expected. 

April  2d. — It  was  learnt  that  a  very  valuable  prize  was 
carried  into  Salem. 

7th. — Our  General  set  out  from  his  house  in  Roxbury 
and  arrived  at  the  head-quarters  of  the  American  army  at 
Newburgh,  on  Hudson's  River,  on  the  14th,  in  the  fore 
noon. 

On  the  16th,  in  the  general  orders  of  the  day,  our  General 
was  directed  to  take  the  immediate  command  of  the  army, 
during  the  absence  of  Maj.  Gen.  Gates.  Congress  had  pub 
lished  their  proclamation  suspending  hostilities. 

18th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  addressed  the  army  on 
the  happy  cessation  of  hostilities  as  follows : 

"The  Commander  in  Chief  orders  the  cessation  of  hos 
tilities  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the  King 
of  Great  Britain  to  be  publickly  proclaimed  to-morrow  at 
12  o'clock,  at  the  New  Building;  and  that  the  Proclama 
tion  which  will  be  communicated  herewith,  be  read  to 
morrow  evening  at  the  head  of  every  regiment  and  corps 
of  the  army;  after  which,  the  chaplains,  with  the  several 
brigades,  will  render  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  all  his 
mercies,  particularly  for  his  over-ruling  the  wrath  of  man 
to  his  own  glory,  and  causing  the  rage  of  war  to  cease 
amongst  the  nations. 

Although  the  proclamition  before  alluded  to  extends 
only  to  the  prohibition  of  hostilities,  and  not  to  the  an 
nunciation  of  a  general  peace,  yet  it  must  afford  the  most 
rational  and  sincere  satisfaction  to  every  benevolent  mind, 


339 

as  it  puts  a  period  to  a  long  and  doubtful  contest — stops 
the  effusion  of  human  blood — opens  the  prospect  to  a 
more  splendid  scene — and,  like  another  morning  star, 
promises  the  approach  of  a  brighter  day  than  hath  hitherto 
illuminated  this  western  hemisphere!  On  such  a  happy 
day — a  day  which  is  the  harbinger  of  peace — a  day  which 
completes  the  eighth  year  of  the  war,  it  would  be  ingrati 
tude  not  to  rejoice:  it  would  be  insensibility  not  to  par 
ticipate  in  the  general  felicity. 

The  Commander  in  Chief,  far  from  endeavouring  to 
stifle  the  feelings  of  joy  in  his  own  bosom,  offers  his  most 
cordial  congratulations  on  the  occasion  to  all  the  officers  of 
every  denomination — to  all  the  troops  of  the  United  States 
in  general,  and  in  particular  to  those  gallant  and  persever 
ing  men  who  had  resolved  to  defend  the  rights  of  their  in 
vaded  country  so  long  as  the  war  should  continue;  for 
these  are  the  men  who  ought  to  be  considered  as  the  pride 
and  boast  of  the  American  army,  and  who,  crowned  with 
well-earned  laurels,  may  soon  withdraw  from  the  field  of 
glory  to  the  more  tranquil  walks  of  civil  life. 

While  the  General  recollects  the  almost  infinite  va1- 
riety  of  scenes  through  which  we  have  passed,  with  a  mix 
ture  of  pleasure,  astonishment  and  gratitude — while  he 
contemplates  the  prospects  before  us  with  rapture — he  can 
not  help  wishing  that  all  the  brave  men,  of  whatever  con 
dition  they  may  be,  who  have  shared  in  the  toils  and 
dangers  of  effecting  this  glorious  revolution,  of  rescuing 
millions  from  the  hand  of  oppression,  and  of  laying  the 
foundation  of  a  great  empire,  might  be  impressed  with 
a  proper  idea  of  the  dignified  part  they  have  been  called 
to  act  (under  the  smiles  of  Providence)  on  the  stage  of 
human  affairs ;  for  happy,  thrice  happy,  shall  they  be  pro 
nounced  hereafter,  who  have  contributed  any  thing,  who 
have  performed  the  meanest  office  in  erecting  this  stupend 
ous  fabric  of  Freedom  and  Empire  on  the  broad  basis  of 
independency;  who  have  assisted  in  protecting  the  rights 


340 

of  human  nature,  and  establishing  an  asylum  for  the  poor 
and  oppressed  of  all  nations  and  religions. 

The  glorious  task  for  which  we  first  flew  to  arms  be 
ing  thus  accomplished — the  liberties  of  our  country 
fully  acknowledged  and  firmly  secured  by  the  smiles  of 
Heaven  on  the  purity  of  our  cause,  and  the  honest  exer 
tions  of  a  feeble  people  determined  to  be  free,  against  a 
powerful  nation  disposed  to  oppress  them ;  and  the  charac 
ter  of  those  who  have  persevered  through  every  extremity 
of  hardship,  suffering  and  danger,  being  immortalized  by 
the  illustrious  appellation  of  the  Patriot  Army — nothing 
now  remains  but  for  the  actors  of  this  mighty  scene  to 
preserve  a  perfect,  unvarying  consistency  of  character 
through  the  very  last  act;  to  close  the  drama  with  ap 
plause;  and  to  retire  from  the  military  theatre  with  the 
same  approbation  of  angels  and  men,  which  have  crowned 
all  their  former  virtuous  actions. 

For  this  purpose,  no  disorder  or  licentiousness  must 
be  tolerated;  every  considerate  and  well-disposed  soldier 
must  remember  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  to  wait  with 
patience,  until  peace  shall  be  declared,  or  Congress  shall 
be  enabled  to  take  proper  measures  for  the  security  of  the 
public  stores,  &c.  As  soon  as  these  arrangements  shall 
be  made,  the  General  is  confident  there  will  be  no  delay 
in  discharging,  with  every  mark  of  distinction  and  honour 
all  the  men  enlisted  for  the  war,  who  will  then  have  faith 
fully  performed  their  engagements  with  the  public.  The 
General  has  already  interested  himself  in  their  behalf,  and 
he  thinks  he  need  not  repeat  the  assurances  of  his  disposi 
tion  to  be  useful  to  them  on  the  present,  and  every  other 
proper  occasion.  In  the  meantime,  he  is  determined  that 
no  military  neglects  or  excesses  shall  go  unpunished  while 
he  retains  the  command  of  the  army. 

The  Adjutant-General  will  have  such  working-parties 
detailed  to  assist  in  making  the  preparation  for  a  general 
rejoicing,  as  the  Chief  Engineer,  with  the  army,  shall  call 
for ;  and  the  Quarter-Master-General  will  also  furnish  such 


341 

materials  as  he  may  want.  The  Quarter-Master-General 
will,  without  delay,  procure  such  a  number  of  discharges 
to  be  printed  as  will  be  sufficient  for  all  the  men  enlisted 
for  the  war;  he  will  please  to  apply  to  head-quarters  for 
the  form. 

An  extra  ration  of  liquor  to  be  issued  to  every  man  to 
morrow,  to  drink  perpetual  peace,  independence,  and  hap 
piness  to  the  United  States  of  America." 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  18th,  a  schooner,  Cottle, 

master,  from  Nantucket,  with  fish,  oil,  rum,  &c.  came  up 
the  Hudson  to  Newburgh.  This  was  the  first  American 
vessel  which  had  come  up  the  river  since  the  British  took 
possession  of  New  York,  in  the  year  1776. 

19th. — At  noon,  the  Proclamation  of  Congress  for  a 
cessation  of  hostilities  was  published  at  the  door  of  the 
New  Building,  followed  by  three  huzzas;  after  which  a 
prayer  was  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gano,  and  an  anthem 
(Independence,  from  Billings)  was  performed  by  vocal 
and  instrumental  music.  The  same  day,  Gen.  Washington 
went  for  Ringwood,  to  meet  the  Secretary  at  War,  on  some 
business  of  importance. 

20th. — At  evening  the  Commander  in  Chief  returned  to 
head- quarters. 

21st. — Permission  was  given  for  such  persons  as  might 
choose  it,  to  go  to  New  York  with  provisions,  &c.  A  ves 
sel  was  loading  with  flour  to  go  down  the  river;  and  one 
laden  with  rum,  porter,  cheese,  beef,  &c.  &c.  came  up  from 
New  York.  Thus,  as  we  have  seen  how  the  rage  of  war 
came  on,  we  now  see  how  by  degrees  that  rage  subsided, 
until  the  olive  sprang  up  and  progressed  to  full  bloom. 

24th. — It  was  learnt  from  Europe  that  on  the  5th  of 
February,  preceding,  the  Bedford,  Capt.  Morris,  made 
entry  at  the  custom  house  in  London,  being  the  first  vessel 
that  had  arrived  in  the  river,  belonging  to  the  United 
States. 

26th. — It  was  learnt  that  the  refugees  were  embarking 
in  order  to  leave  New  York;  and  many  transports  were 


342 

falling  down  to  the  watering-place.    About  this  time  Con 
gress  recommended  an  impost  duty  to  the  several  States. 

27th. — Intelligence  was  received  that  the  Indians  had 
recently  committed  some  outrages  on  the  western  frontier ; 
had  killed  and  scalped  17  persons  near  Wheeling  Creek. 

May  1st. — Congress  had  expressed  their  opinion  in  a 
resolution  which  was  this  day  published,  that  the  term  for 
which  the  men  engaged  for  the  war  are  to  serve,  does  not 
expire  until  the  definitive  treaty  is  received ;  and  that  then 
those  engaged  for  the  war,  and  who  so  continue,  shall  have 
their  arms  and  accoutrements  as  a  present,  for  their  long 
and  faithful  services. 

2d. — The  next  morning  the  Commander  in  Chief  was 
to  go  down  the  river  to  Dobbs'  Ferry  to  meet  Gen.  Sir  Guy 
Carleton.  Four  companies  of  light  infantry  marched  this 
morning  for  that  place,  to  do  the  duty  of  guards.  Sir  Guy 
was  to  come  up  the  river  in  a  frigate. 

3d. — In  the  forenoon,  the  Commander  in  Chief  and  Gov. 
Clinton,  with  their  suites,  &c.  went  down  the  river. 

7th. — It  was  learnt  that  several  vessels  had  arrived  at 
Boston  from  Europe,  Halifax,  &c.  with  merchandise;  in 
consequence  of  which  the  price  of  goods  had  much  fallen 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  eastern  States  were  fitting  out 
a  great  number  of  fishing  vessels. 

8th. — It  was  said  that  11,644  American  prisoners  had 
died  during  the  war,  in  the  prisons  and  on  board  the  prison 
ships  at  New  York;  a  surprising  number,  and  evidences 
that  if  their  treatment  was  not  severe,  they  were  too  much 
crowded  or  not  properly  attended  to  in  other  respects. 
Those  who  have  seen  know,  and  others  can  easily  conceive 
that  where  men  are  closely  confined  in  great  numbers  in 
prison-ships  or  in  gaols,  that  without  frequent  airing  and 
cleaning  the  air  in  such  places  becomes  putrid  and  poison 
ous,  and  produces  almost  certain  death.  How  much  care 
then  ought  to  be  exercised  by  every  humane  commander 
in  the  appointment  of  provost  officers,  to  be  assured  that 


343 

those  whom  they  appoint  are  not  onjy  firm  and  resolute, 
(necessary  qualifications  in  such  officers)  but  that  they 
also  are  considerate  and  humane ;  and  that  such  command 
ers  themselves  take  care  to  know,  and,  if  necessary,  cor 
rect  any  abuses  which  may  exist.  Such  conduct  towards 
the  confined  and  distressed  would  add  a  laurel  to  the  hero's 
brow  equal  to  the  triumphs  of  victory,  and  more  lasting; 
for  if  the  merciful  man  be  merciful  even  to  his  beast,  how 
much  more  ought  a  great  and  brave  man  to  feel  for  the 
unfortunate  of  his  own  species ! 

9th. — At  evening  the  Commander  in  Chief  returned  to 
head-quarters,  having  had  an  interview  with  Sir  Guy 
Carleton. 

15th. — The  Commander  in  Chief  went  for  Poughkeep- 
sie.  A  letter  from  Gen.  Sir  Guy  Carleton  to  Gov.  Clinton 
had  rendered  an  interview  between  the  Governor  and  the 
Commander  in  Chief  necssary. 

16th. — At  evening  the  Commander  in  Chief  returned  to 
head-quarters. 

28th. — The  army  about  this  time  were  badly  supplied 
with  provisions,  and  much  uneasiness  was  discovered,  both 
by  the  officers  and  soldiers. 

31st. — It  was  learnt  that  Congress  had  passed  a  resolu 
tion  to  furlough  the  men  engaged  for  the  war.  This  mode 
appeared  to  be  marked  with  policy  in  several  respects. 

June  2d. — The  general  orders  of  the  day  announced  that 
the  men  engaged  for  the  war  should  be  immediately  fur- 
loughed,  with  a  proportion  of  the  officers.  They  were  to  be 
discharged  as  soon  as  the  definitive  treaty  arrived;  they 
were  to  be  marched  home  in  divisions.  Those  men  that 
remained  engaged  for  other  periods,  were  to  be  formed  into 
complete  corps.  The  officers  to  agree  who  should  stay,  and 
in  cases  where  they  could  not  agree,  seniority  was  to  de 
cide. 

3d. — The  Maryland  battalion  was  put  under  orders  to 
march  to  the  southward. 


344 

5th. — The  Maryland  battalion  marched  from  the  canton 
ment.  The  same  day,  the  general  officers,  and  officers  com 
manding  regiments  and  corps  in  the  cantonment  on  Hud 
son's  River,  having,  by  their  committee  for  that  purpose  ap 
pointed,  prepared  an  address  to  the  Commander  in  Chief 
— it  was  accordingly  presented  in  the  words  following : 
"Sin, 

It  is  difficult  for  us  to  express  the  regret  we  feel  at  being 
obliged  again  to  solicit  your  Excellency's  attention  and 
patronage.  Next  to  the  anguish  which  the  prospect  of  our 
own  wretchedness  excites  in  our  breasts,  is  the  pain  which 
arises  from  a  knowledge  of  your  anxiety  on  account  of 
those  men  who  have  been  the  sharers  of  your  fortunes,  and 
have  had  the  honour  of  being  your  companions  through 
the  various  vicissitudes  of  the  war.  Nothing,  therefore, 
but  necessity  could  induce  us  to  a  representation  which  we 
know  must  give  you  concern. 

Your  Excellency  has  so  intimate  a  knowledge  of  the 
condition  of  the  army  as  to  render  a  particular  delineation 
unnecessary.  As  you  have  been  a  witness  of  our  sufferings 
during  a  war  uncommon  in  its  nature,  and  unparalleled  in 
many  circumstances  attending  it;  so  you  are  now,  Sir,  no 
less  a  witness  of  the  unequal  burden  which  has  fallen  upon 
us,  from  the  want  of  that  provision  to  which,  from  our  as 
siduous  and  unremitting  services,  we  conceive  we  are  en 
titled.  Having  recently  expressed  our  sense  of  what  was 
due  to  our  distress;  having  repeated  to  your  Excellency 
the  confidence  we  had,  that  our  accounts  would  be  liqui 
dated,  the  balances  ascertained,  and  adequate  funds  pro 
vided  for  payment  previous  to  our  being  dispersed  or  dis 
banded;  having  seen  with  pleasure  the  approbation  which 
Congress  gave  our  reliance,  it  is  with  a  mixture  of  as 
tonishment  and  chagrin,  that  we  view  the  late  resolve  of 
Congress,  by  which  the  soldiers  for  the  war  and  a  propor 
tionate  number  of  officers  are  to  be  furloughed  without 
any  one  of  those  important  objects  being  accomplished; 


345 

and,  to  complete  the  scene  of  woe,  are  to  be  compelled  to 
leave  the  army  without  the  means  of  defraying  the  debts 
we  have  necessarily  incurred  in  the  course  of  service,  or 
even  of  gratifying  those  menials  in  the  pittance  which  is 
their  due;  much  less  to  carry  with  us  that  support  and  com 
fort  to  our  families,  of  which,  from  our  long  military 
services,  they  have  been  deprived.  No  less  exposed  then  to 
the  insults  of  the  meanest  followers  of  the  army,  than  to 
the  arrests  of  the  sheriff — deprived  of  the  ability  to  assist 
our  families,  and  without  an  evidence  that  any  thing  is 
due  to  us  for  our  services,  and  consequently  without  the 
least  prospect  of  obtaining  credit  for  even  a  temporary 
subsistence,  until  we  can  get  into  business — to  whatv  quar 
ter  can  we  look?  We  take  the  liberty  to  say,  Sir,  only  to 
your  Excellency;  and,  from  the  sincerity  of  our  hearts, 
we  do  it  no  less  from  a  persuasion  of  the  efficiency  of  your 
further  efforts  in  our  favour,  than  from  the  kind  assuran 
ces  you  have  been  pleased  to  give  us  of  your  support. 

To  your  Excellency,  then,  we  make  our  appeal,  and  in 
the  most  solemn  manner,  from  that  abhorrence  of  oppres 
sion  and  injustice  which  first  unsheathed  our  swords;  from 
the  remembrance  of  the  common  dangers  through  which 
we  have  passed;  and  from  the  recollection  of  those  as 
tonishing  events,  which  have  been  effected  by  our  united 
efforts, — permit  us  to  solicit  your  further  aid  and  to 
entreat  that  the  order  of  the  2d  instant,  founded  on  the  act 
of  Congress  of  the  26th  of  May  last,  may  be  suspended  or 
varied  in  its  operation,  so  far  as  that  no  officer  or  soldier 
be  obliged  to  receive  a  furlough  until  that  honourable  body 
can  be  apprized  of  the  wretched  situation  into  which  the 
army  must  be  plunged  by  a  conformity  to  it;  that  your 
Excellency  will  endeavour  to  prevail  on  Congress — nay, 
that  on  the  principles  of  common  justice  you  will  insist  that 
neither  officer  or  soldier  can  be  compelled  to  leave  the 
field  until  a  liquidation  of  accounts  can  be  effected,  till 
the  balances  are  ascertained,  certificates  for  the  sums  due 


346 

given,  including  the  commutation  of  half-pay  to  the  officers 
and  gratuity  of  80  dollars  to  the  soldiers,  and  until  a  sup 
ply  of  money  can  be  furnished  sufficient  to  carry  us  from 
the  field  of  glory  with  honour  to  ourselves  and  credit  to 
our  country.  We  still  wish  to  believe  that  that  country  to 
which  we  have  been  so  long  devoted  will  never  look  with 
indifference  on  the  distress  of  those  of  her  sons  who  have 
so  essentially  contributed  to  the  establishment  of  Freedom, 
the  security  of  property,  and  the  rearing  of  an  empire. 

In  the  name  and  behalf  of  the  Generals  and  officers  com 
manding  regiments  and  corps,  in  the  cantonment  on  Hud 
son's  River, 

I  have  the  honour  to  "be, 
With  the  highest  respect, 

Your  Excellency's 
Most  obedient  servant, 
W.  HEATH,  Maj.  Gen.  President. 
June  5th,  1783." 

To  the  foregoing  address,  Gen.  Washington  was  pleased 
to  return  the  following  answer,  viz : 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  June  6th,  1783. 

"SIR, 

Before  I  make  a  reply  to  the  subject  of  the  address  of  the 
Generals  and  Officers,  commanding  the  regiments  and  corps 
of  this  army,  presented  by  yourself,  yesterday,  I  entreat 
that  those  gentlemen  will  accept  my  warmest  acknowledg 
ment  for  the  confidence  they  have  been  pleased  to  repose 
in  me;  they  may  be  assured  it  shall  never  be  abused;  and 
I  beg  they  will  be  persuaded,  that  as  no  man  can  possibly 
be  better  acquainted  than  I  am  with  the  past  merits  and 
services  of  the  army,  so  no  one  can  possibly  be  more 
strongly  impressed  with  their  present  ineligible  situation, 
feel  a  keener  sensibility  at  their  distresses,  or  more  ar 
dently  desire  to  alleviate  or  remove  them.  But  it  would  be 
unnecessary,  perhaps,  to  enter  into  a  detail  of  what  I  have 
done,  and  what  I  am  still  attempting  to  do,  in  order  to 


347 

assist  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  interesting  purpose. 
Let  it  be  sufficient  to  observe,  I  do  not  yet  despair  of  suc 
cess;  for  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  the  States  cannot 
without  involving  themselves  in  national  bankruptcy  and 
ruin,  refuse  to  comply  with  the  requisitions  of  Congress; 
who,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  have  done  everything  in 
their  power  to  obtain  ample  and  complete  justice  for  the 
army;  and  whose  great  object  in  the  present  measure  un 
doubtedly  was,  by  a  reduction  of  expense,  to  enable  the 
Financier  to  make  the  three  months'  payment  to  the  army, 
which  on  all  hands  has  been  agreed  to  be  absolutely  and 
indispensably  necessary.  To  explain  this  matter,  I  beg 
leave  to  insert  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  the  Superintend- 
ant  of  Finance,  dated  the  29th  ult. 

It  is  now  a  month  since  the  committee  conferred  with 
me  on  that  subject,  and  I  then  told  them  no  payment  could 
be  made  to  the  army  but  by  means  of  a  paper  anticipation ; 
and  unless  our  expenditures  were  immediately  and  con 
siderably  reduced,  even  that  could  not  be  done.  Our  ex 
penditures  have  nevertheless  been  continued,  and  our  rev 
enues  lessen,  the  States  growing  daily  more  and  more  re 
miss  in  their  collections.  The  consequence  is,  that  I  cannot 
make  payment  in  the  manner  first  intended ;  the  notes  is 
sued  for  this  purpose  would  have  been  payable  at  two,  four, 
and  six  months  from  the  date,  but  at  present  they  will  be  at 
six  months,  and  even  that  will  soon  become  impracticable, 
unless  our  expenses  be  immediately  curtailed. 

I  shall  cause  such  notes  to  be  issued  for  three  months' 
pay  to  the  army;  and  I  must  entreat,  Sir,  that  every  in 
fluence  be  used  with  the  States  to  absorb  them,  together 
with  my  other  engagements,  by  taxation. 

Three  days  ago  a  messenger  was  dispatched  by  me  to 
urge  the  necessity  of  forwarding  these  notes  with  the  great 
est  possible  expedition. 

Under  this  state  of  circumstances,  I  need  scarcely  add, 
that  the  expense  of  every  day  in  feeding  the  whole  army 


348 

will  increase  very  considerably  the  inability  of  the  public 
to  discharge  the  debts  already  incurred,  at  least  for  a 
considerable  time  to  come. 

Although  the  officers  of  the  army  very  well  know  my 
official  situation ;  that  I  am  only  a  servant  of  the  public,  and 
that  it  is  not  for  me  to  dispense  with  orders  which  it  is  my 
duty  to  carry  into  execution ;  yet,  as  furloughs,  in  all  ser 
vices,  are  considered  as  a  matter  of  indulgence  and  not 
of  compulsion — as  Congress,  I  am  persuaded,  entertain 
the  best  disposition  towards  the  army — and,  as  I  appre 
hend  in  a  very  short  time  the  two  principal  articles  of 
complaint  will  be  removed — I  shall  not  hesitate  to  comply 
with  the  wishes  of  the  army,  under  these  reservations  only, 
that  officers  sufficient  to  conduct  the  men  who  choose  to 
receive  furloughs  will  attend  them,  either  on  furlough  or 
by  detachment.  The  propriety  and  necessity  of  this  meas 
ure  must  be  obvious  to  all;  it  need  not,  therefore,  be  en 
forced;  and  with  regard  to  the  non-commissioned  officers 
and  privates,  such  as  from  a  peculiarity  of  circumstances 
wish  not  to  receive  furloughs  at  this  time,  will  give  in  their 
names  by  12  o'clock  to-morrow  to  the  commanding  officers 
of  their  regiments,  that  on  a  report  to  the  Adjutant- Gene 
ral,  an  equal  number  of  men,  engaged  for  three  years,  may 
be  furloughed,  which  will  make  the  saving  of  expenses 
exactly  the  same  to  the  public. 

I  cannot  but  hope  the  notes  will  soon  arrive,  and  that 
the  settlement  of  accounts  may  be  completed  by  the  assist 
ance  of  the  Pay-Masters  in  a  very  few  days.  In  the  mean 
time,  I  shall  have  the  honour  of  laying  the  sentiments  of 
the  Generals  and  Officers  commanding  regiments  and 
corps,  before  Congress ;  they  are  expressed  in  such  a  decent, 
candid  and  affecting  manner,  that  I  am  certain  every  mark 
of  attention  will  be  paid  to  them. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

With  great  esteem,  Sir, 
Your  most  obedient  Servant, 
(Signed)        GEO.  WASHINGTON. 
Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 


349 

The  two  preceding  papers  were  enclosed  in  the  following 
letter  from  the  Commander  in  Chief  to  his  Excellency  the 
President  of  Congress: 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  NEWBURGH,  June  7,  1783. 

"  SIR, 

I  have  the  honour  to  enclose  to  your  Excellency  the  copy 
of  an  address  to  me  from  the  Generals  and  Officers  com 
manding  regiments  and  corps,  together  with  my  answer  to 
it.  These  enclosures  will  explain  the  distresses  which  re 
sulted  from  the  measures  now  carrying  into  execution,  in 
consequence  of  the  resolution  of  the  26th  of  May ;  but  the 
sensibility  occasioned  by  a  parting  scene  under  such  pecu 
liar  circumstances,  will  not  admit  of  description ! 

The  two  subjects  of  complaint  with  the  army  appear  to 
be  the  delay  of  the  three  months'  payment  which  had  been 
expected,  and  the  want  of  a  settlement  of  accounts.  I  have 
thought  myself  authorized  to  assure  them  Congress 
had  and  would  attend  particularly  to  their  grievances; 
and  have  made  some  little  variation  respecting  furloughs, 
from  what  was  at  first  proposed ;  the  Secretary  of  War  will 
be  able  to  explain  the  reason  and  propriety  of  this  altera 
tion. 

While  I  consider  it  a  tribute  of  justice,  on  this  occasion, 
to  mention  the  temperate  and  orderly  behaviour  of  the 
whole  army,  and  particularly  the  accommodating  spirit 
of  the  officers  in  arranging  themselves  to  the  command  of 
the  battalions  which  will  be  composed  of  the  three  years' 
men,  permit  me  to  recall  to  mind  all  their  former  suffer 
ings  and  merits,  and  to  recommend  their  reasonable  re 
quests  to  the  early  and  favourable  notice  of  Congress. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c." 

A  little  before  this  time,  the  officers  of  the  army  begin 
ning  to  realize  that  the  dissolution  of  the  army  was  draw 
ing  nigh,  and  wishing  to  perpetuate  that  friendship  which 
numerous  hardships,  sufferings,  and  common  dangers  had 


350 

inspired  in  their  breasts, — resolved  to  form  themselves 
into  a  Society,  by  the  name  of  the  Cincinnati.  Several 
meetings  were  had  for  the  purpose,  and  an  Institution  was 
digested  and  completed;  and  although  our  General  pre 
sided  at  one  of  the  meetings,  and  cheerfully,  at  the  request 
of  his  brother  officers,  transmitted  copies  of  the  Institu 
tion,  covered  by  a  letter,  to  the  officer  commanding  the 
southern  army,  and  to  the  senior  officers  of  the  respective 
State  lines,  from  Pennsylvania  to  Georgia — yet  he  had 
serious  objections  to  the  Institution  as  it  stood,  and  refused 
for  some  time  to  sign  it.  He  wished,  as  much  as  any  one 
in  the  army,  to  perpetuate  the  happy  friendship  cemented 
in  the  breasts  of  the  officers  by  an  eight  years'  common 
danger  and  sufferings,  but  he  thought  this  would  be  best 
done  by  simply  forming  a  Society,  to  meet  annually  in 
their  respective  States,  for  the  purpose  of  a  social  hour, 
and  to  brighten  the  chain  of  friendship,  with  a  fund  for  the 
relief  of  the  unfortunate  of  their  brethren ;  but  he  was  op 
posed  to  any  idea  of  any  thing  that  had  any  resemblance 
of  an  order,  or  any  insignia  or  badge  of  distinction,  assert 
ing  that  it  would  only  serve  to  mark  them  in  an  unfavor 
able  light  with  their  fellow- citizens :  but  the  prevailing  opin 
ion  of  the  officers  was  otherwise.  Our  General  was  finally 
induced  to  sign  the  Institution,  from  the  following  consi 
deration —  (but  not  until  all  the  officers  were  appointed, 
and  he  nearly  ready  to  leave  the  army)  conversing  with  an 
officer  of  rank,  who  was  of  the  same  opinion  with  him,  they 
parted  in  the  resolution  not  to  sign  the  Institution ;  but  the 
next  morning  the  officer  called  upon  him,  and  observed 
that  one  consideration,  not  before  mentioned,  had  occur 
red  to  him,  viz. :  that  it  might  happen  in  the  days  of  their 
posterity,  in  case  they  did  not  sign,  that  the  descendant  of 
one  who  was  a  member  might  happen  to  fall  in  company 
with  the  descendant  of  one  who  was  not;  that  the  latter, 
on  observing  the  badge,  might  inquire  what  it  was,  and 
whats  its  intention — upon  its  being  answered  that  it  was 


351 

the  insignia  of  a  Society,  of  which  his  ancestor  who  served 
in  the  American  army  during  the  revolution,  was  a  mem 
ber — the  other  might  reply,  my  ancestor  too  served  during 
that  war,  but  I  never  heard  any  thing  of  such  a  badge  in 
our  family;  to  which  it  might  probably  be  answered,  it  is 
likely  your  ancestor  was  guilty  of  some  misconduct,  which 
deprived  him  of  it.  Upon  this  our  General  broke  out — 
"I  see  it,  I  see  it,  and  spurn  the  idea;"  which  led  him  to 
sign  the  general  Institution  :  and  he  subscribed  to  the  State 
fund  166  dollars,  being  one  month's  pay,  as  was  stipulated 
in  the  Institution.  He,  however,  never  met  with  the  So 
ciety,  although  no  one  has  cherished  a  warmer  affection 
for  every  member  of  the  army.  After  the  revolution  in 
France,  finding  that  the  insignias  of  distinctions  were  do 
ing  away,  it  led  him  anew  to  review  the  distinction  which 
the  badge  of  the  Society  to  which  he  belonged,  if  not  in 
fact,  yet  in  appearance  seemed  to  exhibit,  and  brought  to 
mind  all  his  former  objections,  which  induced  him  to  write 
to  the  Secretary-General  to  erase  his  name  from  the  In 
stitution  ;  but  that  his  subscription  to  the  fund  should  re 
main  so  long  as  it  was  applied  to  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  given — the  relief  of  the  unfortunate. 

6th. — In  the  forenoon,  the  Jersey  line  marched  from  the 
cantonment  to  their  own  State,  where  they  were  to  be  dis 
banded.  The  same  day,  the  first  New  York  regiment  made 
a  present  of  their  standards  and  band  to  Governor  Clin 
ton;  they  were  escorted  to  Poughkeepsie  by  the  light-in 
fantry  company  of  the  regiment. 

8th. — The  men  for  the  war,  belonging  to  the  Maryland, 
New  Jersey,  New  York,  and  New  Hampshire  lines,  having 
marched  from  the  cantonment,  a  division  of  the  Massa 
chusetts  men  marched  on  this  day. 

9th. — A  division  of  the  Suffolk  and  Worcester  furloughed 
men  marched  for  their  own  State,  and  so  on,  a  division 
each  day,  until  the  whole  had  marched. 


352 

10th.— Our  General  was  General  of  the  Day.  In  the 
after  orders  of  the  Commander  in  Chief  on  this  day  it  was 
expressed — "The  strength  of  the  army  in  this  cantonment 
being  considerably  diminished  by  the  number  of  men  lately 
furloughed,  the  order  of  the  16th  of  April,  directing  a  Gen 
eral,  Field  Officers,  and  Quarter-Master  to  be  of  the  day, 
and  also  a  regiment  to  parade  every  day  for  duty,  is  dis 
pensed  with.  For  the  present  there  will  be  one  Field-Offi 
cer,  and  an  Adjutant  of  the  day ;  and  the  guards  only  will 
form  on  the  grand  parade  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning."  It 
is  here  a  little  remarkable  that  our  General,  by  whose 
orders,  and  under  whose  direction  the  first  guard  in  the 
American  war  mounted  at  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill,  on  the 
evening  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  after  the  battle  of  that 
day,  should  happen,  in  the  course  of  service,  to  be  the  last 
General  of  the  day  in  the  American  main  army,  on  the  10th 
of  June,  1783,  to  inspect,  turn  off,  and  visit  the  guards. 
At  the  first  period,  the  roads  were  full  of  militia,  pressing 
towards  Boston,  to  commence  and  prosecute  a  dubious 
war;  they  were  now  filled  with  veteran  soldiers,  covered 
with  laurels,  returning  form  the  field  to  their  peacful 
abodes. 

llth.— About  2  o'clock,  P.  M.  the  wind  freshened 
from  the  west;  there  were  several  thunder  showers,  with 
large  hail-stones,  some  of  which  were  supposed  to  be  two 
inches  long.  The  lightning  struck  the  flag-staff  of  the 
New  Building,  entered  the  house,  and  ran  down  the  south 
side  of  it,  doing  some  damage,  and  stunning  several  sold 
iers  near  the  door.  In  the  general  orders  of  this  day  it 
was  announced  that  the  levees  were  to  be  discontinued. 

13th. — The  men  who  had  enlisted  for  3  years,  and  for 
shorter  periods  not  expired,  were  formed,  those  belonging 
to  Massachusetts  into  4  regiments,  and  were  to  be  com 
manded  by  Colonels  Michael  Jackson,  Henry  Jackson,  and 
Joseph  Vose,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Commandant  Sprout.  On  the 
morning  of  the  16th,  these  regiments  incorporated,  and 


353 

were  formed  into  two  brigades,  the  one  commanded  by 
Brig.  Gen.  Patterson,  and  the  other  by  Brig.  Gen.  Greaton. 

19th. — A  number  of  officers  of  the  army,  viz.:  several 
general  officers,  and  officers  commanding  regiments  and 
corps,  met  at  the  New  Building,  and  elected  his  Excellency 
Gen.  Washington,  President  General;  Gen.  M'Dougal 
Treasurer;  and  Gen.  Knox,  Secretary,  pro  tempore,  to  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 

20th. — The  Massachusetts  State  Society  of  the  Cincin 
nati  met,  and  made  choice  of  Maj.  Gen.  Lincoln  for  their 
President;  Maj.  Gen.  Knox,  Vice-President ;  Col.  John 
Brooks,  Secretary;  Col.  Henry  Jackson,  Treasurer;  and 
Capt.  Heywood,  Assistant-Treasurer.  The  same  day  the 
troops  at  the  cantonment  were  put  under  orders  to  be 
ready  to  march  for  West  Point  on  the  succeeding  Monday. 

22nd. — Our  General  issued  his  last  order,  which  finished 
as  follows:  "The  long  wished  for  period  having  arrived, 
when  the  din  of  war  ceases,  the  olive-branch  of  peace  is  dis 
played,  the  toils  and  fatigues  of  the  field  are  drawing  to  a 
close,  a  part  of  the  army  have  already  mingled  with  their 
fellow-citizens,  and  others  will  probably  ere  long  join 
them — Maj.  Gen.  Heath  being  about  to  leave  the  army,  and 
this  being  the  last  opportunity  which  will  remain  in  his 
power  to  express  that  affection  for  his  brother  officers  and 
soldiers,  which  more  than  eight  years  of  service  has  estab 
lished  in  his  breast,  he  cannot  depart  without  leaving  his 
best  wishes  for  the  health,  prosperity  and  happiness  of 
those  whose  lot  it  is  a  little  longer  to  continue  in  the  field — 
invoke  every  blessing  on  them,  and  bid  them  an  affection 
ate  farewell." 

23rd. — The  Massachusetts  regiments  marched  to  West- 
Point. 

The  morning  of  the  24th  our  General  was  to  commence 
his  journey  homeward ;  but  the  Commander  in  Chief  wished 


354 

him  not  to  proceed  until  the  afternoon.  On  his  arrival 
at  head-quarters,  Col.  Humphrys,  one  of  the  Aides-de- 
Camp  of  the  Commander  in  Chief,  gave  him  a  sealed  letter, 
observing  to  him  to  read  at  his  leisure.  On  opening  it,  in 
General  Washington's  own  hand-writing  it  was  as  fol 
lows: 

(Private.) 

HEAD-QUARTERS,  June  24th,  1783. 
"DEAR  SIR, 

Previous  to  your  departure  from  the  army,  I  wish 
to  take  an  opportunity  of  expressing  my  sentiments  of  your 
services,  my  obligations  for  your  assistance,  and  my  wishes 
for  your  future  felicity. 

"Our  object  is  at  last  attained;  the  arrangements  are 
almost  completed,  and  the  day  of  separation  is  now  at 
hand.  Permit  me,  therefore,  to  thank  you  for  the  trouble 
you  have  lately  taken  in  the  arrangement  of  the  corps 
under  your  orders,  as  well  as  for  all  your  former  cheerful 
and  able  exertions  in  the  public  service.  Suffer  me  to  of 
fer  this  last  testimony  of  my  regard  to  your  merits;  and 
give  me  leave,  my  dear  Sir,  to  assure  you  of  the  real  af 
fection  and  esteem  with  which  I  am,  and  shall  at  all  times, 
and  under  all  circumstances,  continue  to  be 
Your  sincere  friend,  and 

Very  humble  servant, 
(Signed)         G.  WASHINGTON. 

Maj.  Gen.  HEATH." 

In  the  afternoon,  the  general  officers  were  in  Council  at 
head-quarters,  in  consequence  of  an  express  from  Phila 
delphia.  Four  or  five  hundred  men  of  the  Pennsylvania 
line,  of  those  who  had  been  furloughed  on  or  about  the 
20th,  grew  very  mutinous,  refused  to  obey  orders,  entered 
the  city  of  Philadelphia,  seized  some  public  stores,  sur 
rounded  the  place  where  Congress  and  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  were  sitting,  and  made  several  demands  and 
occasioned  some  consternation,  which  caused  a  representa- 


355 

tion  to  the  Commander  in  Chief.  The  Continental  regi 
ments  were  to  be  put  under  marching  orders  immediately. 
It  was  judged  inexpedient  to  call  out  the  militia. 

At  about  5  o'clock  P.  M.  our  General  took  his  leave  of 
his  beloved  General,  and  commenced  his  journey  for  Mas 
sachusetts,  and  arrived  at  his  house  in  Roxbury  on  the 
first  day  of  July,  at  2  o'clock,  P.  M.  where  he  gave  evidence 
that  an  eight  years'  military  life  had  not  divested  him  of 
the  feelings  or  manners  of  a  citizen. 

October  30th. — It  was  learnt  that  the  definitive  treaty  of 
peace  was  signed  the  3d  of  the  precding  September;  and 
that  dispatches  were  sent  off  to  the  different  Courts  in 
Europe,  to  America,  the  East  and  West  Indies,  &c.  with  an 
account  of  this  happy  event. 

Congress,  by  a  proclamation  which  bore  date  of  the  18th 
of  this  month,  discharged  from  further  service  such  soldiers 
as  were  engaged  for  the  war,  and  officers  who  were  absent 
by  derangement  and  furlough.  The  discharges  to  take 
place  the  3d  of  November,  ensuing. 

November  2d. — Gen.  Washington  issued  his  last  and 
farewell  orders  to  the  federal  armies,  taking  an  affectionate 
leave  of  them,  and  giving  them  his  best  advice. 

4th. — Gen.  Washington,  by  proclamation,  in  compliance 
with  a  resolve  of  Congress  of  the  29th  of  the  preceding 
October,  discharged  all  the  troops  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  that  were  then  in  Pennsylvania  or  to  the 
southward  thereof,  except  the  garrison  of  Fort  Pitt. 

The  British  troops  having  left  New  York,  on  the  25th  of 
November,  at  one  o'clock,  P.  M.  a  detachment  of  the  Amer 
ican  army  took  possession  of  the  city ;  after  which,  his  Ex 
cellency  General  Washington,  and  Governor  Clinton,  made 
their  public  entry,  properly  escorted,  &c.  The  Governor 
gave  a  public  dinner  at  Frances'  tavern. 

December  2d. — There  was  a  grand  exhibition  of  fire 
works  in  celebration  of  the  peace,  at  the  bowling  green,  in 


356 

Broadway.  The  magnificent  fire- works  far  exceeded  any 
before  exhibited  in  the  United  States. 

On  the  4th,  at  noon,  a  great  number  of  American  officers 
of  distinction  met  at  Frances'  tavern,  to  take  their  leave  of 
their  great  Commander,  Gen.  Washington,  who,  on  filling 
a  glass  of  wine,  addressed  his  brave  compatriots  as  fol 
lows  : — 

"With  an  heart  full  of  love  and  gratitude,  I  now  take 
leave  of  you — I  most  devoutly  wish  that  your  latter  days 
may  be  as  prosperous  and  happy,  as  your  former  ones  have 
been  glorious  and  honourable." 

The  dissolution  of  the  American  army  (excepting  a 
small  detachment  of  artillery  and  of  infantry)  took  place 
a  few  days  after;  and  General  WASHINGTON,  ere  long,  re 
tired  to  his  seat  at  Mount  Vernon,  covered  with  every 
laurel  with  which  his  own  victorious  conduct,  and  a  grate 
ful  country,  could  adorn  him ;  and  with  the  applause  of  an 
admiring  world. 


THE  END. 


BUNKER  HILL  BATTLE. 


Original  Title  Page. 

HISTORY 


BATTLE  OF    BREED'S    HILL, 


MAJOR-GENERALS  WILLIAM    HEATH,  HENRY    LEE,  JAMES 
WILKINSON  AND  HENRY  DEARBORN. 


COMPILED    BY    CHARLES    COFFIN. 


SACO- 

PRINTED    BY   WILLIAM    /.  CONDON. 

1831, 


Having  for  years  been  satisfied  that  the  accounts  of  Breed's  Hill 
Battle  as  given  by  Gordon,  Warren,  Ramsey  and  Marshall,  are  defec 
tive  and  imperfect,  I  have  been  induced  to  publish  the  transactions 
of  that  memorable  event,  as  given  by  four  American  Major  Generals, 
who  were  either  in  the  action  or  had  the  best  possible  opportunities  of 
being  fully  acquainted  with  the  details  of  it.  And  who  from  their  pro 
fession  were  better  qualified  to  give  a  full  and  fair  narrative,  than  any 
others  who  have  undertaken  it.  To  which  are  added  the  depositions 
of  a  number  of  highly  respectable  gentlemen  who  were  eye  witnesses 
of  and  partakers  of  the  glory  of  that  proud  day. 

The  following  sheets,  it  is  believed,  will  give  a  more  full  and  ac 
curate  view  of  the  troops  engaged,  by  whom  commanded  and  all  the 
transactions  of  the  day,  than  any  narrative  extant. 

My  objects  are  truth  and  justice  to  the  living  and  the  dead. 

PORTLAND.  THE  COMPILER. 


Reflections  on  the  Campaigns  of  Sir  William  Howe,  on  his 
resigning  the  command  of  the  British  Armies  in  Amer 
ica,  with  an  incidental  account  of  the  battle  of 
Bunker's  Hill,  extracted  from  Major  General 
Henry  Lee's  "  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the 
Southern  Department  of  the  United 
States,"  Published  1812. 

It  is  impossible  to  pass  over  this  period  of  the  American 
war  without  giving  vent  to  some  of  those  reflections  which 
it  necessarily  excites.  Sir  William  Howe  was  considered 
one  of  the  best  soldiers  in  England,  when  charged  with  the 
important  trust  of  subduing  the  revolted  colonies.  Never 
did  a  British  General,  in  any  period  of  that  nation,  com 
mand  an  army  better  fitted  to  insure  success  than  the  one 
submitted  to  his  direction,  whether  we  regard  its  compar 
ative  strength  with  that  opposed  to  it,  the  skill  of  the  offi 
cers,  the  discipline  and  courage  of  the  soldiers,  the  ade 
quacy  of  all  the  implements  and  munitions  of  war,  and 
the  abundance  of  the  best  supplies  of  every  sort.  In  ad 
dition,  his  brother  Lord  Howe  commanded  a  powerful 
fleet  on  our  coast,  for  the  purpose  of  subserving  the  views, 
and  supporting  the  measures  of  the  commander  in  chief. 
Passing  over  the  criminal  supineness  which  marked  his 
conduct  after  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  and  the  fatal  mis 
take  of  the  plan  of  the  campaign  1777,  (the  first  and  lead 
ing  feature  of  which  ought  to  have  been  junction  with 
Burgoyne  and  the  undisturbed  possession  of  the  North 
River)  we  must  be  permitted  to  look  at  him  with  scrutin- 


362 

ous  though  impartial  eyes,  when  pursuing  his  own  object, 
and  directed  by  his  own  judgment,  after  his  disembarka 
tion  at  the  head  of  the  Chesapeake. 

We  find  him  continuing  to  omit  pressing  the  various  ad 
vantages  he  dearly  gained  from  time  to  time.  He  was 
ever  ready  to  appeal  to  the  sword,  and  but  once  retired 
from  his  enemy.  But  he  does  not  seem  to  have  known 
that  to  win  a  victory  was  but  the  first  step  in  the  actions 
of  a  great  captain.  To  improve  it  is  as  essential;  and 
unless  the  first  is  followed  by  the  second,  the  conqueror 
ill  requites  those  brave  companions  of  his  toils  and  per 
ils,  to  whose  disregard  of  difficulties  and  contempt  of 
death,  he  is  so  much  indebted  for  the  laurel  which  entwines 
his  brow;  and  basely  neglects  his  duty  to  his  country, 
whose  confidence  in  his  zeal  for  her  good,  had  induced  her 
to  commit  to  his  keeping  her  fame  and  interest. 

After  his  victory  at  Brandywine,  he  was,  by  his  own 
official  statement,  less  injured  than  his  adversary ;  yet  with 
many  of  his  corps,  entire  and  fresh,  we  find  him  wasting 
three  precious  days,  with  the  sole  ostensible  object  of 
sending  his  wounded  to  Wilmington.  Surely  the  detach 
ment  charged  with  this  service  was  adequate  to  their  pro 
tection  on  the  field  of  battle,  as  afterwards  on  the  march ; 
and  certainly  it  required  no  great  exertion  of  mind  to  have 
made  this  arrangement  in  the  course  of  one  hour,  and  to 
have  pursued  the  beaten  foe  after  the  refreshments  and  re 
pose  enjoyed  in  one  night.  This  was  omitted.  He  adhered 
to  the  same  course  of  conduct  after  the  battle  of  German- 
town,  when  the  ill-boding  tidings  from  the  northern  war 
fare,  emphatically  called  upon  him  to  press  his  victory  in 
ordler  to  compensate  for  the  heavy  loss  likely  to  be  sus 
tained  by  the  captivity  of  Burgoyne  and  his  army.  But 
what  is  most  surprising,  after  the  Delaware  was  re 
stored  to  his  use,  and  the  communication  with  the  fleet 
completely  enjoyed,  that  he  should  have  relinquished  his 
resolution  of  fighting  Washington  at  White  Marsh,  having 


363 

ascertained  by  his  personal  observation,  that  no  material 
difficulty  presented  itself  on  the  old  York  road,  by  which 
route  he  could,  with  facility,  have  turned  Washington's 
left,  and  have  compelled  him  to  a  change  of  position  with 
battle,  or  to  a  perilous  retreat.  And  last,  though  not 
least  in  magnitude,  knowing  as  Sir  William  ought  to  have 
known,  the  sufferings  and  wants  of  every  kind  to  which 
Washington  was  exposed  at  Valley  Forge,  as  well  as  that 
his  army  was  under  inoculation  for  the  small  pox,  while 
he  himself  was  so  abundantly  supplied  with  every  article 
requisite  to  give  warmth  and  comfort  to  his  troops,  it  is 
wonderful  how  he  could  omit  venturing  a  winter  campaign, 
to  him  promising  every  advantage,  and  to  his  antagonist, 
menacing  every  ill — this,  too,  when  the  fate  of  Burgoyne 
was  no  longer  doubtful,  and  its  adverse  influence  on  for 
eign  powers  unquestionable,  unless  balanced  by  some 
grand  and  daring  stroke  on  his  part.  The  only  plan  prac 
ticable  was  that  above  suggested;  an  experiment  urged  by 
all  the  considerations  which  ever  can  command  high 
spirited  enterprise. 

These  are  undeniable  truths;  and  they  involve  an  in 
quisitive  mind  in  a  perplexity  not  easy  to  be  untangled. 
It  would  be  absurd  to  impute  this  conduct  to  a  want  of 
courage  in  Sir  William  Howe;  for  all  acknowledge  that 
he  eminently  possessed  that  quality.  Nor  can  it  be  justly 
ascribed  to  either  indolence  of  disposition,  or  a  habit  of 
sacrificing  his  duties  to  self -care ;  for  he  possessed  a  robust 
body,  with  an  active  mind,  and  although  a  man  of  pleas 
ure,  subdued,  when  necessary,  its  captivating  allurements 
with  facility.  To  explain  it,  as  some  have  done,  by  sup 
posing  him  friendly  to  the  revolution,  and  therefore  to 
connive  at  its  success,  would  be  equally  stupid  and  unjust, 
for  no  part  of  Sir  William's  life  is  stained  with  a  single 
departure  from  the  line  of  honor.  Moreover,  traitors  are 
not  to  be  found  among  British  Generals,  whose  fidelity  is 
secured  by  education,  by  their  grade  and  importance  in  so- 


364 


ciety,  and  by  the  magnificent  rewards  of  government  sure 
to  follow  distinguished  efforts. .  The  severe  admonition 
which  Sir  William  had  received  from  the  disastrous  bat 
tle  of  Bunker's,  or  rather  Breed's  Hill,  furnishes  the  most 
probable  explanation  of  this  mysterious  inertness.  On 
that  occasion,  he  commanded  a  body  of  chosen  troops,  in 
ured  to  discipline,  and  nearly  double  in  number  to  his  foe ; 
possessed  of  artillery  in  abundance,  prepared  in  the  best 
manner;  with  an  army  at  hand  ready  to  re-inforce  him, 
and  led  by  officers,  many  of  whom  had  seen  service,  all  of 
whom  had  been  bred  to  arms.  His  enemy  was  a  corps  of 
countrymen,  who,  for  the  first  time,  were  unsheathing 
their  swords;  without  artillery;  defectively  armed  with 
fowling  pieces,  and  muskets  without  bayonets;  destitute 
of  that  cheering  comfort  with  which  experience  animates 
the  soldier;  with  no  other  works  than  a  slight  redoubt, 
and  a  slighter  trench,  terminating  in  a  yet  slighter  breast 
work. 

Sir  William  found  this  feeble  enemy  posted  on  the  mar 
gin,  and  along  the  acclivity  of  the  hill,  commanded  by 
Col.  Prescott,1  then  unknown  to  fame;  yet  Sir  William 
beheld  these  brave  yeomen — while  the  conflagration  of  a 
town  was  blazing  in  their  faces,  while  their  flanks  were 
exposed  to  maritime  annoyance,  and  their  front  was  as 
sailed  by  regulars  in  proud  array  under  the  protection  of 

1  The  honor  conferred  upon  Colonel  Prescott  was  only  a  promotion 
in  the  army  soon  after  established;  and  this,  the  writer  was  informed 
by  a  gentleman  residing  in  Boston  who  was  well  acquainted  with  Col. 
Prescott,  consisted  only  in  the  grade  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  in  a  regi 
ment  of  infantry.  Considering  himself  entitled  to  a  regiment,  the  hero 
of  Breed's  Hill  would  not  accept  a  second  station.  Warren,  who  fell 
nobly  supporting  the  action,  was  the  favorite  of  the  day,  and  has  en 
grossed  the  fame  due  to  Prescott.  Bunker's  Hill,  too,  has  been  con 
sidered  as  the  field  of  battle,  when  it  is  well  known  that  it  was  fought 
on  Breed's  Hill,  the  nearest  of  the  two  hills  to  Boston.  No  man  reveres 
the  character  of  Warren  more  than  the  writer;  and  he  considers  him 
self  not  only  by  his  obedience  to  truth,  doing  justice  to  Colonel  Pres 
cott,  but  performing  an  acceptable  service  to  the  memory  of  the  illus 
trious  Warren,  who,  being  a  really  great  man,  would  disdain  to  wear 
laurels  not  his  own. 


365 

cannon  in  full  discharge — receive  the  terrible  shock  with 
firmness,  cooly  await  his  near  approach,  and  then  reso 
lutely  pour  in  a  charge,  which  disciplined  courage  could 
not  sustain.  He  saw  his  gallant  troops  fly — afterwards 
brought  to  rally  with  their  colors,  and  indignant  at  the  re 
pulse,  return  with  redoubled  fury.  Sir  William  again 
saw  these  daring  countrymen,  unappalled  in  heart,  un 
broken  in  line  ,true  to  their  generous  leader  and  inbred 
valor,  calmly  reserving  themselves  for  the  fatal  moment, 
when  his  close  advance  presented  an  opportunity  of  wing 
ing  every  ball  with  death.  Again  the  British  soldiers 
with  the  pupil  of  the  immortal  Wolfe  at  their  head, 
sought  safety  in  flight.  Restoring  his  troops  to  order,  Sir 
William  Howe  advanced  the  third  time,  supported  by  naval 
co-operation,  which  had  now  nearly  demolished  our 
slender  defences.  Notwithstanding  this  tremendous  com 
bination,  Sir  William  saw  his  gallant  enemy  maintain  their 
ground,  without  prospect  of  succor,  until  their  ammuni 
tion  was  nearly  expended;  then,  abandoning  their  works 
as  the  British  entered  them,  they  took  the  only  route  open 
to  their  escape  with  decision  and  celerity. 

The  sad  and  impressive  experience  of  this  murderous 
day  sunk  deep  into  the  mind  of  Sir  William  Howe;  and 
it  seems  to  have  had  its  influence  on  all  his  subsequent  op 
erations,  with  decisive  control.  In  one  instance  only  did 
he  ever  depart  from  the  most  pointed  circumspection ;  and 
that  was,  in  the  assault  on  Red  Bank,  from  his  solicitude 
to  restore  the  navigation  of  the  Delaware  deemed  essential 
to  the  safety  of  his  army.  The  doleful  issue  of  this  single 
departure  renewed  the  solemn  advice  inculcated  at  Breed's 
Hill,  and  extinguished  his  spirit  of  enterprise.  This  is  the 
only  way  in  which  it  seems  to  me,  the  mysterious  inertness 
which  marked  the  conduct  of  the  British  General,  so  fatal 
in  its  effect  to  the  British  cause,  can  be  intelligibly  solved. 

The  military  annals  of  the  world  rarely  furnish  an 
achievement  which  equals  the  firmness  and  courage  dis- 


366 

played  on  that  proud  day  by  the  gallant  band  of  Ameri 
cans;  and  it  certainly  stands  first  in  the  brilliant  events 
of  our  war. 

When  future  generations  shall  inquire  where  are  the 
men  who  gained  the  highest  prize  of  glory  in  the  arduous 
contest  which  ushered  in  our  nation's  birth — upon 
Prescott  and  his  companions  in  arms  will  the  eye  of 
history  beam. 

"A  rapid  sketch  of  the  Battle  of  Breed's  Hill."     By  Major 
Gen.  James  Wilkinson,  Published  1816. 

On  the  augmentation  of  his  force  in  May,  1775,  Gen. 
Gage  determined  to  occupy  the  heights  of  Dorchester  to 
the  south  of  Boston,  and  those  of  Charlestown  on  the 
north  of  the  town ;  the  occupation  of  these  points  was  not 
only  necessary  to  the  extension  to  his  quarters,  but  indis 
pensable  to  his  holding  of  them.  It  was  therefore  deter 
mined  in  the  first  instance  to  seize  upon  Dorchester 
heights,  as  they  were  the  most  commanding  and  of  easiest 
access  to  the  provincials.  Preparations  were  accordingly 
made,  and  agreeable  to  the  plan  concerted,  Major  General 
Howe  was  to  have  landed  at  the  point  of  the  peninsula 
nearest  the  castle;  Major  General  Clinton  on  the  flat  be- 
tyeen  that  place  and  Nook's  Hill,  whilst  Major  General 
Burgoyne  was  to  take  post  on  the  Neck,  and  amuse  the  pro 
vincials  at  Roxbury  with  a  heavy  cannonade;  and  from 
the  strength,  disposition  and  equipments  of  those  corps  at 
that  period,  no  effectual  opposition  could  have  been  made 
to  this  operation  of  the  royal  army,  and  a  few  days  more 
would  have  put  it  in  possession  of  Bunker's  Hill  also. 

The  arrangements  of  General  Gage,  preparatory  to  those 
meditated  operations,  necessarily  attracted  the  observation 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Boston,  and  being  communicated  to 
the  Provincial  Congress,  they  became  jealous  of  some  hos 
tile  movement,  without  being  able  to  penetrate  the  object 


367 


of  it.  It  appears  probable  that  under  this  impression,  they 
recommended  to  a  council  of  war,  which  had  been  institu 
ted,  the  fortification  of  Dorchester  Neck  and  Bunker's 
Hill,  on  the  ground  of  precautionary  defence,  the  very  same 
motive  by  which  the  council  of  British  officers  had  been 
actuated;  for  if  the  views  of  the  Provincial  Congress  had 
been  offensive,  the  heights  of  Dorchester  could  not  have 
escaped  their  attention,  because  from  thence  both  the  town 
and  harbor  were  exposed  to  annoyance. 

The  resolution  of  the  Provincial  council  of  war  being 
taken,  Col.  Prescott,  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  dauntless 
resolution,  who,  I  understand,  had  served  in  the  seven 
years'  war  as  a  provincial  subaltern,  seconded  by  a  CoL 
Brewer,  who  also  served  in  the  same  war  as  a  sergeant  of 
rangers,  was  ordered  with  one  thousand  Massachusetts  men 
to  take  possession  of  Bunker's  Hill;  but  whether  by  mis 
taking  the  spot,  which  seems  improbable,  Colonel  Prescott 
passed  the  crown  of  Bunker's  Hill  about  600  yards,  and 
broke  ground  on  Breed's  Hill,  about  1200  yards  from  the 
British  Battery  on  Cop's  Hill  in  North  Boston;  he  there 
projected  regular  squares,  as  well  as  I  can  recollect,1  of 
fifty  yards  without  a  flanking  angle,  the  front  of  which, 
towards  Boston,  ranged'  about  N.  E.  and  S.  W.  with  the 
entrance  or  aperture  in  the  centre  of  the  opposite  side;  a 
parapet  breast  high  had  been  thrown  up,  and  a  retrench 
ment,  from  the  N.  E.  angle  of  the  ditch  in  front  had  been 
pushed  about  100  yards  down  the  declivity  towards  Mystic 
river,  with  the  apparent  design  of  continuing  it  across  a 
hollow  or  indenture  of  the  surface,  to  the  bank  of  that 
river;  from  the  N.  E.  angle  of  the  redoubt,  in  rear,  a  post 
and  rail  fence,  ranging  with  the  N.  E.  side  of  the  redoubt, 
ran  back  about  200  yards,  where  it  was  intersected  nearly 
at  right  angles  by  a  similar  fence,  extending  about  300 
yards  to  the  bank  of  the  Mystic  river,  which  at  the  junct- 

1 1  examined  it  the  17th  of  March,  1776,  the  day  the  enemy  evacu 
ated  Boston. 


368 

ion  was  8  or  9  feet  perpendicular  height;  in  front  of  the 
last  line  of  fence  from  the  bank  of  the  Mystic  river,  the 
ground  was  smooth,  without  obstruction,  declining  gently 
60  or  80  yards,  where  it  fell  off  abruptly.  The  bank  of 
the  Mystic  river  appeared  firm  and  flat.  These  details  are 
given  from  memoranda  taken  hastily,  almost  forty-one 
years  since,  and  therefore  I  crave  consideration,  should 
they  be  in  any  particular  imperfect.  This  rectangular 
work  of  Colonel  Prescott's  was  so  far  advanced,  that  his 
men  were  pretty  well  covered  in  the  ditch  and  retrench 
ment,  and  behind  the  parapet,  before  he  was  discovered  in 
the  morning,  although  the  Lively  frigate  lay  immediately 
before  him  in  the  ferry  way  between  Charlestown  and 
Boston,  and  a  ship  of  the  line,  with  the  Falcon  ship  of  war, 
a  few  hundred  yards  to  the  eastward.  The  batteries  of 
these  vessels  and  several  gun  boats,  with  that  on  Cop's  Hill, 
were  opened  against  the  Provincials  as  soon  as  they  were 
discovered,  and  the  cannonade  was  continued  without  ces 
sation;  but  from  the  elevation  of  the  hill,  with  so  little 
effect  that  the  Americans  continued  their  work. 

The  British  General  was  startled  by  this  encroach 
ment,  which  left  him  no  time  to  deliberate;  for  although 
Bunker's  Hill  would  have  given  little  annoyance  to  Bos 
ton,  Breed's  Hill  positively  commanded  the  northern  part 
of  it.  Major  General  Howe,  therefore,  being  first  for 
duty,  was  ordered  with  ten  companies  of  grenadiecs,  and 
ten  of  light  infantry,  and  the  5th,  38th,  43d,  and  52d 
regiments,  to  dislodge  the  Provincials;  and  on  this  ser 
vice,  seconded  by  Brigadier  General  Pigot,  he  embarked 
in  barges  about  noon,  and  rowed  to  Morton's  Point,  the 
eastern  extremity  of  the  peninsula  of  Charlestown, 
and  the  present  site  of  the  U.  S.  Navy  Yard,  where 
he  landed  and  formed  without  opposition;  but  dis 
liking  the  disposition  and  aspect  of  the  Provincials,  he 
ordered  his  troops  to  sit  down,  and  sent  back  to  Boston 
for  a  reinforcement,  to  land  and  co-operate  from  the  side 
of  Charlestown;  for  which  service  the  47th  regiment  and 


369 

1st  battalion  of  marines  were  detached ;  and  yet  this  corps 
of  Sir  William  Howe,  composed  of  five  regiments,  one  bat 
talion  and  twenty  flank  companies,  has  been  generally  re 
ported  at  about  2000  men;  but  surely  64  companies  at 
least,  cannot  be  reckoned  for  less  than  3000,  and  this  num 
ber  I  shall  claim,  for  the  honor  of  Prescott  and  Stark,  and 
the  yeomanry  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  who, 
I  have  been  assured  by  several  spectators  of  the  action,  were 
the  only  troops  engaged,  and  that  the  whole  number  did 
not  exceed  1500  combatants.  General  Howe  halted  at 
Morton's  Point,  as  well  to  arrange  and  refresh  his  corps 
for  combat,  as  to  wait  the  reinforcement;  being  perfectly 
concealed  from  observation  in  his  front  by  the  nature  of 
the  ground.  Prescott,  at  the  same  time  manned  his  re 
doubt  and  the  retrenchment,  and  occupied  the  circum 
jacent  ground  in  the  most  advantageous  manner  he  could, 
with  about  800  men  out  of  the  one  thousand  ordered  for 
the  service;  whilst  General  Putnam  and  Colonel  Gerrish 
took  post  with  about  1500  men  on  and  around  Bunker's 
Hill.  In  the  meantime,  Colonel  Stark,  with  his  own  regi 
ment  and  that  of  Reed's  from  New  Hampshire,  amount 
ing  to  about  700  men,  half  organized,1  and  wretchedly 
equipped,2  were  pressing  for  the  scene  of  action ;  Captain 
H.  Dearborn,  (lately  a  Major-General,  and  turned  out  of 
service  by  the  good  President  Madison,  to  make  room  for 
his  favorites  Brown  and  Scott)  marched  on  Colonel  Stark's 


1  The  men  hastily  chose  their  company  officers,   but  Stark  had   for 
his  Major,  Andrew  McClary,  Esq.,  who  had  been  distinguished  for  his 
resolution,  zeal  and  patriotism  in  planning  ahd  leading  the  attack  of 
the  castle  at  Portsmouth,  the  1st  December,  1774.  and  seizing  the  ord 
nance,  arms  and  military  stores  found  therein;   he  had  this  day  dis 
charged  his  duty  with  great  gallantry  in  the  field,  and  escaped  unhurt, 
but  returning  to  bring  off  some  men  scattered  in  the  rear,  he  was  killed 
by  a  cannon  ball  from  one  of  the  enemy's  floating  batteries  near  the 
Neck. 

2  The  men  were  armed  with  fusils  of  various  calibres,  each  individ 
ual  was  furnished  with  one-quarter  of  a  pound  of  powder  in  a  horn,  one 
flint,  and  lead  sufficient  to  make  fifteen  charges  either  of  ball  or  buck 
shot;  the  men  prepared  their  ammunition  according  to  their  discretion, 
some  with  cartridges  and  others  with  loose  ammunition;  the  powder  in 
their  horns,  and  the  lead  in  their  pockets. 


370 

right,  traversed  the  causeway  under  a  heavy  cross-fire  from 
floating  batteries,  and  passed  General  Putnam  on  Bunker 
Hill,  with  Colonel  Gerrish  by  his  side,  and  1000  or  1200 
men  under  their  orders;  as  this  corps  of  citizen  soldiers 
approached  the  redoubt  under  the  cannonade  of  the  ene 
my's  batteries  from  Charles  river  and  Cop's  Hill,  Colonel 
Stark  determined  to  form  his  men  behind  the  post  and  rail 
fences  before  described;  but  when  he  reached  the  bank  of 
the  Mystic  he  cast  his  eyes  down  upon  the  beach,  and  as  he 
observed  to  me  on  the  spot,  thought  it  was  so  plain  a  way 
that  the  enemy  could  not  miss  it;  he  therefore  ordered  a 
number  of  Ms  boys  to  jump  down  the  bank,  and  with  stones 
from  the  adjacent  walls,  they  soon  threw  up  a  strong 
breast-work  to  the  water's  edge,  behind  which  he  posted 
triple  ranks  of  his  choice  men;  in  the  meantime,  those 
who  formed  in  the  rear  of  the  fences  to  conceal  themselves 
from  the  enemy,  filled  the  space  between  the  rails  with 
grass  and  hay,  behind  which  they  either  knelt  or  sat  down, 
every  man  having  made  an  aperture  in  the  grassy  rampart, 
through  which,  while  resting  his  fusee,  he  could  take  delib 
erate  aim. 

Captain  Dearborn  was  posted  with  his  company  nearest 
the  redoubt,  on  the  right  of  Stark's  line. — About  one  o'clock 
General  Howe  put  two  columns  and  a  detachment  with  his 
artillery  in  motion ;  one  column  marched  by  the  beach,  and 
his  light  infantry  led  the  other  on  the  margin  of  the  bank 
of  the  Mystic  and  directly  to  the  left  of  Col.  Stark's  line; 
the  detachment  and  artillery,  from  the  best  information 
I  have  been  able  to  procure,  inclined  towards  his  left,  and 
commenced  a  feeble  attack  against  the  redoubt  at  long 
shot,  apparently  with  a  design  to  draw  the  attention  of 
Col.  Prescott,  whilst  the  column  on  the  beach  and  that  on 
the  bank  of  the  Mystic  were  designed  to  turn  the  flank  and 
gain  the  rear  of  the  Provincials  on  Breed's  Hill,  which 
they  would  have  accomplished  if  they  had  not  been  driven 
back.  Col.  Stark's  orders  to  his  men,  who  were  concealed 
behind  the  stone  wall  on  the  beach,  were  not  to  fire  until 


. 

s 


371 

the  front  of  the  enemy  reached  a  point  which  he  had 
marked  in  the  bank  at  eight  or  ten  rods'  distance,  and  those 
on  the  bank  immediately  under  his  eye  were  directed  to 
reserve  their  fire  until  they  could  see  the  enemy's  half-gait 
ers,  which,  from  the  form  of  ground,  would  bring  them 
within  the  same  distance;  in  this  situation  of  the  Provin 
cials,  the  columns  of  the  enemy  on  the  beach  and  the  bank 
advanced  by  heavy  platoons,  without  firing,  as  if  not  ap 
prised  of  what  awaited  them,  and  when  within  the  pre 
scribed  distance,  received  a  volley  which  mowed  down 
the  whole  front  ranks,  and  the  columns  were  instantly 
broken  and  fell  back  in  disorder,  that  on  the  beach,  entirely 
out  of  the  combat,  having  ninety-six1  men  killed  outright, 
before  they  could  escape  the  American  fire;  on  the  banks 
the  light  infantry  fell  back  until  covered  by  the  ground, 
then  re-formed  and  again  advanced  to  the  attack,  and 
were  again  repulsed  with  similar  slaughter;  three  times 
were  these  brave  unfortunate  men  led  to  the  charge, 
and  were  finally  repulsed.2  Sir  William  Howe  now  gave 
up  his  first  plan  of  attack  to  force  his  way  into  the  rear 
of  the  Provincials,  and  making  an  entire  new  disposition, 
he  directed  his  whole  force  against  the  redoubt,  attacking 
it  on  three  sides  at  the  same  time.  Gen.  Clinton  with  the 
47th  regiment  and  the  battalion  of  marines  on  the  right; 
Gen.  Pigot  with  the  5th,  38th  and  43d  regiments,  in  the 
centre;  and  the  Commander,  with  the  grenadiers  and  52d 
regiment  on  the  left;  the  light  infantry  appear  to  have 
been  put  hors  de  combat. 

The  retrenchment  was  turned  on  the  left  and  entered 
by  the  grenadiers,  but  being  exposed  to  the  perpendicular 
fire  of  the  redoubt  and  the  oblique  fire  of  Captain  Dear- 

1  Mr.  John  Winslow,  then  in  Boston,  I  understand,  counted  this  num 
ber  the  next  day.  This  gentleman  served  with  much  reputation  in  the 
Artillery  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  and 
has  been  long  since  a  Major-General  in  the  Militia  of  Massachusetts. 

2 1  had  these  details  from  Col.  Stark  on  the  field,  the  17th  of 
March,  1776,  and  I  remember  his  observing,  "  the  dead  lay  as  thick  as 
sheep  in  a  field;"  it  was  at  this  point  the  enemy  suffered  most  severely. 


372 

born,  they  were  obliged  to  abandon  it.  Assailed  in  his 
front  and  flanks  by  three  fold  numbers,  Prescott  persevered 
with  great  obstinacy  and  valor,  until  his  ammunition  was 
nearly  expended,  and  the  redoubt  was  forced  by  the  grena 
diers  at  the  angle,  which  joined  the  retrenchment.  He 
was  then  obliged  to  give  way,  and  his  men  of  course  re 
treated  in  disorder.  After  the  third  repulse  of  the  light 
infantry,  and  whilst  the  attack  was  carried  against  the 
redoubt,  Stark's  men  behind  the  post  and  rail  fence  near 
the  Mystic  were  unassailed  and  unoccupied,  and  the  scenes 
near  the  redoubt  being  obscured  by  the  smoke  they  were 
induced  to  retreat  reluctantly  after  the  work  was  carried. 
If  they  had  been  thrown  forward,  where  the  light  infantry 
finally  gave  way,  to  attack  Sir  William's  right  flank  and 
rear,  the  issue  of  this  conflct  might  have  proved  unfortunate 
for  him;  or  if  General  Putnam  had  moved  up  with  Col. 
Gerrish  and  the  men  who  remained  stationary  within 
600  yards  of  the  combat,  which  lasted  an  hour  and  a  half, 
the  triumph  of  the  Provincials  would  have  been  decisive, 
and  those  of  the  British  corps  who  were  not  killed  must 
have  surrendered,  which  would  probably  have  terminated 
the  contest  and  prevented  the  disseverment  of  the 
British  empire ;  but  I  understand  from  high  authority  that 
it  was  in  vain  that  Col.  Prescott  sent  messenger  after  mes 
senger  to  entreat  General  Putnam  to  come  to  his  succor; 
he  rode  about  Bunker's  Hill  while  the  battle  raged  under 
his  eye,  with  a  number  of  entrenching  tools  slung  across 
his  horse,  but  did  not  advance  a  step,  and  was  passed,  with 
Col.  Gerrish  at  his  side,  by  Stark  and  Dearborn,  as  they 
retreated,  near  the  spot  where  they  saw  him  when  they 
advanced;  and  for  this  conduct  Colonel  Prescott  never 
ceased  to  reprobate  the  General.  In  respect  to  the  patriot 
Doctor  Warren,  whose  acknowledged  talents  and  virtues, 
and  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  his  country  have  con 
secrated  his  memory  to  endless  time,  he  arrived  at  the  re 
doubt  a  short  time  before  the  action  commenced,  and  on  his 


373 

appearance,  being  known  as  a  general  officer  recently  ap 
pointed,  the  gallant  Colonel  Prescott  addressed  himself  to 
him,  and  demanded,  "Doctor  Warren,  do  you  come  here 
to  take  command?"  "No,  Colonel,"  replied  the  Doctor, 
"but  to  give  what  assistance  I  can,  and  to  let  these  damned 
rascals  see,"  pointing  to  the  British  troops,  '  that  the 
Yankees  will  fight."1  I  understood  he  performed  his  duty 
with  his  firelock,  and  it  is  certain  he  fell  in  the  retreat,  in 
the  rear  of,  and  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  redoubt,  it  is 
said  by  a  random  shot  through  the  head.  The  sanguinary 
merits  of  this  combat  would  not  disgrace  Chippewa  or 
Bridgewater ;  but  in  this  case  the  liberties  of  North  Amer 
ica  formed  the  ground  of  combat,  whilst  in  the  other,  mil 
itary  eclat  and  individual  exaltation  were  alone  contended 
for.  The  loss  of  the  Provincials  were  453  all  ranks  in 
cluded,  among  whom,  Doctor  Warren,  Colonel  Gardner, 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Parker,  Major  McClary  and  Major 
Moore  were  the  only  characters  of  distinction.  The  loss  of 
the  British  of  all  ranks  was  1054,  of  whom  19  commis 
sioned  officers  were  killed,  and  among  them  one  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  two  Majors,  and  seven  Captains,  and  seventy 
were  wounded.  Such  were  the  immediate  fruits  of  this 
battle,  but  its  effects  were  co-extensive  with  the  American 
war,  leaving  impressions  on  the  minds  of  the  British  com 
mander  which  saved  the  country  from  great  loss  of  blood 
and  heavy  calamities.  This  isolated  sketch  being  intended" 
as  a  mere  record  of  facts  little  known,  it  may  be  proper  to 
state  that  between  Prescott  and  Stark  there  was  no  pre 
concert  or  plan  of  co-operation;  each  fought  his  distinct 
corps  and  defended  his  ground  according  to  his  own  judg 
ment,  and  there  was  no  general  command  exercised  on  the 
field,  as  soon  as  the  men  were  stationed,  every  one  reasoned 
and  resolved  for  himself,  and  fought  for  his  country  under 
the  direction  of  his  own  will,  and  the  consequences  shew 


1  This  fact  is  taken  from  the  lips  of   Dr.    Eustis,   our     Minister     at     the 
Hague,  who  was    present  in  the  redoubt, 


374 

what  cannot  be  denied,  that  one  deliberate  well-directed 
shot  is  worth  an  hundred  and  twenty  thrown  away  by 
platoon  or  file  firing,  in  the  ordinary  hurry  of  military 
actions,  particularly  under  the  shade  of  night,  and  at  600 
yards  distance.  General  Ward,  the  Commander  in  Chief, 
listened  to  the  thunder  of  the  battle  from  his  quarters  in 
Cambridge;  and  all  the  reinforcements  which  arrived 
at  Bunker's  Hill,  after  Colonel  Stark  had  passed,  halted 
and  kept  company  with  Gen.  Putnam  and  Col.  Gerrish. 
The  Colonel  was  cashiered,  but  the  General,  being  distin 
guished  for  his  popularity,  his  integrity  and  patriotism, 
served  as  third  in  command  at  the  termination  of  the 
American  Revolution. 

The  habits  and  feelings  of  our  countrymen  at  the  com 
mencement  of  the  Revolution  have  been  described  in  the 
beginning  of  this  volume,  and  when  contrasted  with  those 
of  the  present  day,  they  will  receive  a  favourable  award 
from  every  virtuous  and  reflecting  citizen,  while  the  youth 
of  the  present  day,  whether  reared  in  military  academies 
or  metropolitan  schools,  though  they  may  be  taught  to 
call  ambition  virtue,  will  find  among  their  predecessors 
examples  worthy  of  any  age  or  nation,  in  which  ambition 
was  united  with  sentiments  of  love  of  country  and  insepara 
ble  from  social  virtue.  Those,  then,  who  desire  to  stifle 
in  the  rising  generation  that  God-like  sensibility  which 
weeps  over  the  sufferings  of  a  fellow  creature,  or  to  impair 
the  force  of  the  divine  injunction  which  teaches  man,  "to 
do  as  he  would  be  done  by,"  instead  of  instructing  his  son 
in  the  civil  arts  and  useful  sciences,  should  encourage  mil 
itary  academies,  and  teach  them  how  to  wield  the  sabre 
or  to  set  the  squadron,  and 

"  To  know  the  hardships  of  a  lengthened  war, 
What  treasures  it  must  cost,  what  scenes  of  blood, 
What  vast  expenses,  what  unnumbered  toils, 
Equipping  fleets  and  mustering  armies  ask." 

The  following  animated  description    of  the  Battle    of 
Breed's  Hill  and  its  attendant  horrors,  from  the  pen  of 


376 

one  of  the  most  elegant  scholars  and  accomplished  gen 
tlemen  of  his  day,1  will  exhibit  to  the  people  of  these 
States  the  barbarian  influence  of  military  education  and 
habits  on  the  human  mind,  and  will  shew  them  how  men 
accustomed  to  scenes  of  horror  and  distress  may  be 
charmed  by  the  savage  sublimity  of  blazing  towns  and 
bleeding  hosts  to  the  dissolution  of  the  first  duties  and 
obligations  of  intelligent  social  beings,  and  the  extinction 
of  the  endearing  and  consoling  virtues  of  humanity  and 
religion. 

"And  now  ensued  one  of  the  greatest  scenes  of  war 
that  can  be  conceived;  if  we  look  at  the  height,  Howe's 
corps  ascending  the  hill  in  the  face  of  entrenchments,  and 
in  a  very  disadvantageous  ground,  were  much  engaged, 
to  the  left  the  enemy  pouring  in  fresh  troops  by  thou 
sands  over  the  land ;  and  in  the  arm  of  the  sea  our  ships 
and  floating  batteries  cannonading  them;  straight  before 
us  a  large  noble  town,  in  one  great  blaze,  the  church 
steeples  and  heights  of  our  own  camp  covered  with  spec 
tators  of  the  rest  of  the  army,  which  was  not  engaged; 
the  hills  round  the  country  covered  with  anxious  specta 
tors;  the  enemy  all  in  anxious  suspense;  and  the  roar  of 
cannon,  mortars  and  musketry;  the  crash  of  churches, 
ships  upon  the  stocks,  and  whole  streets  falling  together 
in  ruins,  to  fill  the  ear;  the  storm  of  the  redoubts,  with 
the  objects  above  described,  to  fill  the  eye;  and  the  reflec 
tion  that  perhaps  a  defeat  was  a  final  loss  to  the  British 
empire  in  America,  to  fill  the  mind,  made  the  whole  picture 
a  complication  of  horror  and  importance,  beyond  any 
thing  that  ever  came  to  my  lot  to  witness." 


1  Gen.  Burgoyne. 


376 

An  account  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  'by  Major  Gen 
eral  Henry  Dearborn,  Published  1818. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  1775,  it  was  determined  that  a 
fortified,'  post  should  be  established  at  or  near  Bunker's 
Hill. 

A  detachment  of  the  army  was  ordered  to  advance  early 
in  the  evening  of  that  day,  and  commence  the  erection  of 
a  strong  work  on  the  heights  in  the  rear  of  Charlestown, 
at  that  time  called  Breed's  Hill,  but  from  its  proximity 
to  Bunker's  Hill,  the  battle  has  taken  its  name  from  the 
latter  eminence,  which  overlooks  it. 

The  work  was  commenced  and  carried  on  under  the 
direction  of  such  engineers  as  we  were  able  to  procure 
at  that  time.  It  was  a  square  redoubt,  the  curtains  of 
which  were  about  60  or  70  feet  in  extent,  with  an  intrench- 
ment,  or  breast  work,  extending  50  or  60  feet  from  the 
northern  angle  towards  the  Mystic  river. 

In  the  course  of  the  night  the  ramparts  had  been  raised 
to  the  height  of  6  or  7  feet,  with  a  small  ditch  at  their 
base,  but  it  was  in  yet  a  rude  and  imperfect  state.  Being 
in  full  view  from  the  northern  heights  of  Boston,  it  was 
discovered  by  the  enemy  as  soon  as  the  daylight  appeared, 
and  a  determination  was  immediately  formed  by  Gen. 
Gage  for  dislodging  our  troops  from  this  new  and  alarming 
position.  Arrangements  were  promptly  made  for  effecting 
this  important  object.  The  movements  of  the  British 
troops  indicating  an  attack,  were  soon  discovered,  in  con 
sequence  of  which  orders  were  immediately  issued  for  the 
march  of  a  considerable  part  of  our  army  to  reinforce  the 
detachment  at  the  redoubts  on  Breed's  Hill ;  but  such  was 
the  imperfect  state  of  discipline,  the  want  of  knowledge 
in  military  science,  and  the  deficiency  of  the  materials  of 
ftvar,  that  the  movement  of  the  troops  was  extremely  ir 
regular  and  devoid  of  everything  like  concert — each  regi- 


fcff 

ment  advancing  according  to  opinions,  feelings  or  caprice 
of  its  commander. 

Col.  Stark's1  regiment  was  quartered  in  Medford,  dis 
tant  about  four  miles  from  the  point  of  anticipated  attack. 
It  then  consisted  of  thirteen  companies,  and  was  proba 
bly  the  largest  regiment  in  the  army.  About  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning  he  received  orders  to  march.  The  regi 
ment  being  destitute  of  ammunition,  it  formed  in  front  of 
a  house  occupied  as  an  arsenal,  where  each  man  received 
a  gill  cup  full  of  powder,  fifteen  balls  and  one  flint. 

The  several  Captains  were  then  ordered  to  march  their 
companies  to  their  respective  quarters,  and  make  up  their 
powder  and  ball  into  cartridges  with  the  greatest  possible 
despatch.  As  there  were  scarcely  two  muskets  in  a  com 
pany  of  equal  calibre,  it  was  necessary  to  reduce  the  size 
of  the  ball  for  many  of  them ;  and  as  but  a  small  proportion 
of  the  men  had  cartridge  boxes,  the  remainder  made  use  of 
powder  horns  and  ball  pouches. 

After  completing  the  necessary  preparations  for  action 
the  regiment  formed  and  marched  about  1  o'clock.  When 
it  reached  Charlestown  Neck  we  found  two  regiments 
halted  in  consequence  of  a  heavy  enfilading  fire  thrown 
across  it,  of  round,  bar,  and  chain  shot  from  the  Lively 
frigate  and  floating  batteries  anchored  in  Charles  river, 
and  a  floating  battery  lying  in  the  river  Mystic.  Major 
M'Clary  went  forward  and  observed  to  the  commanders, 
if  they  did  not  intend  to  move  on,  he  wished  them  to  open 
and  let  our  regiment  pass ;  the  latter  was  immediately  done. 
My  company  being  in  front,  I  marched  by  the  side  of  Col. 
Stark,  who,  moving  with  a  very  deliberate  pace,  I  sug 
gested  the  propriety  of  quickening  the  march  of  the  regi 
ment  that  it  might  sooner  be  relieved  from  the  galling  cross 


1  This  distinguished  veteran  is  still  alive,  in  the  91st  year  of  his 
age,  and  resides  in  the  State  of  New  Hampshire.  He  is  one  of  the 
three  surviving  general  officers  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  other 
two  are  Major  Gen.  St.  Glair,  who  lives  in  the  interior  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  Brig.  Gen.  Huntington  of  Connecticut. 


378 

fire  of  the  enemy.  With  a  look  peculiar  to  himself,  he  fixed 
his  eyes  upon  me  and  observed  with  great  composure, 
"  Dearborn,  one  fresh  man  in  action  is  worth  ten  fatigued 
ones,"  and  continued  to  advance  in  the  same  cool  and  col 
lected  manner.  When  we  had  reached  the  top  of  Bunker's 
Hill  where  Gen.  Putnam  had  taken  his  station,  the  regiment 
halted  for  a  few  moments  for  the  rear  to  come  up. 

Soon  after,  the  enemy  were  discovered  to  have  landed  on 
the  shore  of  Morton's  Point,  in  front  of  Breed's  Hill  under 
cover  of  a  tremendous  fire  of  shot  and  shells  from  a  battery 
on  Cop's  Hill,  in  Boston,  which  had  opened  on  the  redoubt 
at  daybreak. 

Major  General  Howe  and  Brigadier  General  Pigot  were 
the  commanders  of  the  British  forces  which  first  landed, 
consisting  of  four  battalions  of  infantry,  ten  companies  of 
grenadiers,  and  ten  of  light  infantry,  with  a  train  of  artil 
lery.  They  formed  as  they  disembarked,  but  remained  in 
that  position  until  they  were  reinforced  by  another  detach 
ment. 

At  this  moment  the  veteran  and  gallant  Stark  harang 
ued  his  regiment  in  a  short  but  animated  address;  then 
directed  them  to  give  three  cheers  and  make  a  rapid  move 
ment  to  the  rail  fence  which  ran  from  the  left,  and  about 
40  yards  in  the  rear  of  the  redoubt  towards  Mystic  river. 

Part  of  the  grass  having  been  recently  cut,  lay  in  win- 
rows  and  cocks  on  the  field.  Another  fence  was  taken  up 
— the  rails  run  through  the  one  in  front,  and  the  hay 
mown  in  the  vicinity  suspended  upon  them  from  the  bot 
tom  to  the  top,  which  had  the  appearance  of  a  breast  work, 
but  was  in  fact,  no  real  cover  to  the  men;  it,  however, 
served  as  a  deception  on  the  enemy.  This  was  done  by  the 
direction  of  the  "committee  of  safety"  of  which  James 
Winthrop,  Esq.,  who  then,  and  now  lives  in  Cambridge, 
was  one,  as  he  has  within  a  few  years  informed  me.  Mr. 
Winthrop  himself  acted  as  a  volunteer  on  that  day,  and 
was  wounded  in  the  battle. 


At  this  moment  our  regiment  was  formed  in  the  rear  of 
the  rail  fence  with  one  other  small  regiment  from  New 
Hampshire,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Keed;  the  fire 
commenced  between  the  left  wing  of  the  British  army, 
commanded  by  Gen.  Howe,  and  the  troops  in  the  re 
doubt  under  Col.  Prescott,  while  a  column  of  the  enemy 
was  advancing  on  our  left,  on  the  shore  of  the  Mystic  river, 
with  an  evident  intention  of  turning  our  left  wing,  and 
that  veteran  and  most  excellent  regiment  of  Welsh  Fusi 
liers,  so  distinguished  for  its  gallant  conduct  in  the  battle 
of  Minden,  advanced  in  column  directly  on  the  rail  fence, 
when  within  80  or  an  100  yards,  displayed  into  line,  with 
the  precision  and  firmness  of  troops  on  parade,  and  opened 
a  brisk  but  regular  fire  by  platoons,  which  was  returned 
by  a  well  directed,  rapid  and  fatal  discharge  from  our 
whole  line. 

The  action  soon  became  general  and  very  heavy  from 
right  to  left.  In  the  course  of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  the 
enemy  gave  way  at  all  points  and  retreated  in  great  dis 
order,  leaving  a  large  number  of  dead  and  wounded  on  the 
field. 

The  firing  ceased  for  a  short  time  until  the  enemy 
again  formed,  advanced  and  recommenced  a  spirited  fire 
from  his  whole  line.  Several  attempts  were  again  made 
to  turn  our  left,  but  the  troops  having  thrown  up  a  slight 
stone  wall  on  the  bank  of  the  river  and  lying  down  be 
hind  it,  gave  such  a  deadly  fire  as  cut  down  almost  every 
man  of  the  party  opposed  to  them ;  while  the  fire  from  the 
redoubt  and  the  rail  fence  was  so  well  directed  and  so  fatal, 
especially  to  the  British  officers,  that  the  whole  army  was 
compelled  a  second  time  to  retreat  with  precipitation  and 
great  confusion.  At  this  time  the  ground  occupied  by  the 
enemy  was  covered  with  his  dead  and  wounded.  Only  a 
few  small  detached  parties  again  advanced,  which  kept  up 
a  distant,  ineffectual,  scattering  fire,  until  a  strong  rein 
forcement  arrived  from  Boston,  which  advanced  on  the 
southern  declivity  of  the  hill,  in  the  rear  of  Charlestown, 


380 

it  wheeled  by  platoons  to  the  right  and  advanced  directly 
upon  the  redoubt  without  firing  a  gun.  By  this  time  our 
ammunition  was  exhausted,  a  few  men  only  had  a  charge 
left. 

The  advancing  column  made  an  attempt  to  carry  the 
redoubt  by  assault,  but  at  the  first  onset  every  man  that 
mounted  the  parapet  was  cut  down  by  the  troops  within, 
who  had  formed  on  the  opposite  side,  not  being  prepared 
with  bayonets  to  meet  a  charge. 

The  column  wavered  for  a  moment,  but  soon  formed 
again;  when  a  forward  movement  was  made  with  such 
spirit  and  intrepidity  as  to  render  the  feeble  efforts  of  a 
handful  of  men,  without  the  means  of  defence,  unavail 
ing,  and  they  fled  through  an  open  space  in  the  rear  of 
the  redoubt,  which  had  been  left  for  a  gateway.  At  this 
moment  the  rear  of  the  British  column  advanced  round  the 
angle  of  the  redoubt  and  threw  in  a  galling  flank  fire  upon 
our  troops  as  they  rushed  from  it,  which  killed  and  wounded 
a  greater  number  than  had  fallen  before  during  the  action. 
The  whole  of  our  line  immediately  gave  way  and  retreated 
with  rapidity  and  disorder  towards  Bunker's  Hill;  carry 
ing  off  as  many  of  the  wounded  as  possible,  so  that  only 
thirty-six  or  seven  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  among 
whom  were  Lieut.  Col.  Parker  and  two  or  three  other  offi 
cers  who  fell  in  or  near  the  redoubt. 

When  the  troops  arrived  at  the  summit  of  Bunker's 
flili,  we  fund  Gen.  Putnam  with  nearly  as  many  men  as 
had  been  engaged  in  the  battle ;  notwithstanding  which  no 
measure  had  been  taken  for  reinforcing  us,  nor  was  there 
a  shot  fired  to  cover  our  retreat  or  any  movement  made  to 
check  the  advance  of  the  enemy  to  this  height,  but  on  the 
contrary,  Gen.  Putnam  rode  off  with  a  number  of  spades 
and  pick  axes  in  his  hands,  and  the  troops  that  had  re 
mained  with  him  inactive  during  the  whole  of  the  action, 
although  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  battle  ground 
and  no  obstacle  to  impede  their  movement  but  musket- 
balls. 


381 

The  whole  of  their  troops  now  descended  the  north 
western  declivity  of  Bunker's  Hill  and  recrossed  the  Neck. 
Those  of  the  New  Hampshire  line  retired  towards  Winter 
Hill,  and  others  on  to  Prospect  Hill. 

Some  slight  works  were  thrown  up  in  the  course  of  the 
evening — strong  advance  pickets  were  posted  on  the  roads 
leading  to  Charlestown,  and  the  troops  anticipating  an  at 
tack,  rested  on  their  arms. 

It  is  a  most  extraordinary  fact  that  the  British  did  not 
make  a  single  charge  during  the  battle,  which,  if  attempted, 
would  have  been  decisive  and  fatal  to  the  Americans  as 
they  did  not  carry  into  the  field  fifty  bayonets.  In  my  com 
pany  there  was  but  one. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  action,  a  detach 
ment  from  the  British  force  in  Boston  was  landed  in 
Charlestown,  and  within  a  few  moments  the  whole  town 
appeared  in  a  blaze.  A  dense  column  rose  to  a  great  height 
and  there  being  a  gentle  breeze  from  the  southwest,  it  hung 
like  a  thunder  cloud  over  the  contending  armies.  A  very 
few  houses  escaped  the  dreadful  conflagration  of  this  de 
voted  town. 

From  similar  mistakes,  the  fixed  ammunition  furnished 
for  the  field-pieces  was  calculated  for  guns  of  a  larger 
calibre,  which  prevented  the  use  of  field  artillery  on  both 
sides.  There  was  no  cavalry  in  either  army.  From  the 
ships  of  war  and  a  large  battery  on  Cop's  Hill,  a  heavy 
cannonade  was  kept  up  upon  our  line  and  redoubt,  from 
the  commencement  to  the  close  of  the  action  and  during  the 
retreat  but  with  little  effect,  except  killing  brave  Maj. 
Andrew  M'Clary  of  Col.  Stark's  regiment,  soon  after  we 
retired  from  Bunker's  Hill.  He  was  among  the  first  officers 
of  the  army — possessing  a  sound  judgment,  of  undaunted 
bravery,  enterprising,  ardent  and  zealous,  both  as  a  patriot 
and  soldier.  His  loss  was  severely  felt  by  his  compatriots 
in  arms,  while  his  country  was  deprived  of  the  services  of 
one  of  her  most  promising  and  distinguished  champions  of 
liberty. 


382 

After  leaving  the  field  of  battle  I  met  him  and  drank 
some  spirit  and  water  with  him.  He  was  animated  and 
sanguine  in  the  result  of  the  conflict  for  independence,  from 
the  glorious  display  of  valor  which  had  distinguished  his 
countrymen  on  that  memorable  day. 

He  soon  observed  that  the  British  troops  on  Bunker's 
Hill  appeared  in  motion  and  said  he  would  go  and  recon 
noitre  them,  to  see  whether  they  were  coming  out  over  the 
Neck,  and  at  the  same  time  directed  me  to  march  my  com 
pany  down  the  road  towards  Charlestown.  We  were  then 
at  Tuft's  house  near  Ploughed  Hill.  I  immediately  made  a 
forward  movement  to  the  position  he  directed  me  to  take, 
and  halted  while  he  preceded  to  the  old  pound,  which  stood 
on  the  site  now  occupied  as  a  tavern-house  not  far  from  the 
entrance  to  the  Neck.  After  he  had  satisfied  himself  that 
the  enemy  did  not  intend  to  leave  their  strong  posts  on  the 
heights,  he  was  returning  towards  me,  and  within  twelve 
or  fifteen  rods  of  where  I  stood,  with  my  company,  a  random 
shot  from  one  of  the  frigates  lying  near  where  the  centre 
of  Craigie's  bridge  now  is,  passed  directly  through  his  body 
and  put  to  flight  one  of  the  most  heroic  souls  that  ever  ani 
mated  man. 

He  leaped  two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground,  pitched 
forward,  and  fell  dead  upon  his  face.  I  had  him  carried 
to  Medford,  where  he  was  interred  with  all  the  respect  and 
honors  we  could  exhibit  to  the  manes  of  a  great  and  good 
man.  He  was  my  bosom  friend ;  we  had  grown  up  together 
on  terms  of  greatest  intimacy,  and  I  loved  him  as  a  brother. 

My  position  in  the  battle,  more  the  result  of  accident 
than  any  regularity  of  formation,  was  on  the  right  of  the 
line  at  the  rail  fence,  which  afforded  me  a  fair  view  of  the 
whole  scene  of  action. 

Our  men  were  intent  on  cutting  down  every  officer  they 
could  distinguished  in  the  British  line.  When  any  of  them 
discovered  one  he  would  instantly  exclaim  "there"  "see 
that  officer"  "let  us  have  a  shot  at  him"  when  two  or  three 
would  fire  at  the  same  moment;  and  as  our  soldiers  were 


383 


excellent  marksmen,  and  rested  their  muskets  over  the 
fence,  they  were  sure  of  their  object.  An  officer  was 
discovered  to  mount  near  the  position  of  Gen.  Howe,  on 
the  left  of  the  British  line,  and  ride  towards  our  left; 
which  a  column  was  endeavoring  to  turn.  This  was  the 
only  officer  on  horseback  during  the  day,  and  as  he  ap 
proached  the  rail  fence,  I  heard  a  number  of  our  men 
observe,  "there,"  "there,"  "see  that  officer  on  horse 
back"—"  let  us  fire,"  "no,  not  yet,"— "wait  until  he  gets 
to  that  little  knoll,"— "now"— when  they  fired  and  he  in 
stantly  fell  dead  from  his  horse.  It  proved  to  be  Major 
Pitcairn,  a  distinguished  officer. — The  fire  of  the  enemy 
was  so  badly  directed,  I  should  presume  that  forty-nine 
balls  out  of  fifty  passed  from  one  to  six  feet  over  our  heads, 
for  I  noticed  an  apple-tree  some  paces  in  the  rear,  which 
had  scarcely  a  ball  in  it  from  the  ground  as  high  as  a  man's 
head,  while  the  trunk  and  branches  above  were  literally  cut 
to  pieces. 

I  commanded  a  full  company  in  action  and  had  only 
one  man  killed  and  five  wounded,  which  was  a  full  average 
of  the  loss  we  sustained,  excepting  those  who  fell  while 
sallying  from  the  redoubt  when  it  was  stormed  by  the 
British  column. 

Our  total  loss  in  killed  was  eighty-eight,  and  as  well  as 
I  can  recollect  upwards  of  two  hundred  wounded.  Our 
platoon  officers  carried  fusees. 

In  the  course  of  the  action  after  firing  away  what  ammu 
nition  I  had,  I  walked  to  the  higher  ground  to  the  right,  in 
rear  of  the  redoubt,  with  an  expectation  of  procuring  from 
some  of  the  dead  or  wounded  men  who  lay  there,  a  supply. 
While  in  that  situation  I  saw  at  some  distance  a  dead  man 
lying  near  a  small  locust  tree.  As  he  appeared  to  be  much 
better  dressed  than  our  men  generally  were,  I  asked  a  man 
who  was  passing  me  if  he  knew  who  it  was.  He  replied, 
"  it  is  Dr.  Warren." 


384 

I  did  not  personally  know  Dr.  Warren,  but  was  ac 
quainted  with  his  public  character.  He  had  been  recently 
appointed  a  General  in  our  service,  but  had  not  taken  com 
mand.  He  was  President  of  the  Provincial  Congress  then 
sitting  at  Watertown,  and  having  heard  that  there  would 
probably  be  an  action,  had  come  to  share  in  whatever  might 
happen,  in  the  character  of  a  volunteer,  and  was  unfortu 
nately  killed  early  in  the  action.  His  death  was  a  severe 
misfortune  to  his  friends  and  country.  Posterity  will  ap 
preciate  his  worth  and  do  honor  to  his  memory.  He  is  im 
mortalized  as  a  patriot  who  gloriously  fell  in  defence  of 
freedom. 

The  number  of  our  troops  in  action  as  near  as  I  was 
able  to  ascertain  did  not  exceed  fifteen  hundred.  The  force 
of  the  British,  at  the  commencement  of  the  action,  was 
estimated  at  about  the  same  number,  but  they  were  fre 
quently  reinforced. 

Had  our  ammunition  held  out  or  had  we  been  supplied 
with  only  fifteen  or  twenty  rounds,  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  we  should  have  killed  or  wounded  the  greatest  part  of 
their  army  and  compelled  the  remainder  to  lay  down  their 
arms ;  for  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  they  were 
brought  up  the  last  time. 

Our  fire  was  so  deadly,  particularly  to  the  officers,  that 
it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  resisted  it  but  for  a 
short  time  longer. 

I  did  not  see  a  man  quit  his  post  during  the  action,  and 
do  not  believe  a  single  soldier  who  was  brought  into  the 
field  fled,  until  the  whole  army  was  obliged  to  retreat  for 
want  of  powder  and  ball. 

The  total  loss  of  the  British  was  about  twelve  hundred ; 
upwards  of  five  hundred  killed  and  between  six  and  seven 
hundred  wounded.  The  Welsh  Fusiliers  suffered  most  se 
verely  ;  they  came  into  action  five  hundred  strong  and  all 
were  killed  or  wounded  but  eighty-three. 


385 

I  will  mention  an  extraordinary  circuinstance  to  show 
how  far  the  temporary  reputation  of  a  nlan  may  affect 
the  minds  of  all  classes  of  society. 

General  Putnam  had  entered  our  army  at  the  commence 
ment  of  the  Revolutionary  War  with  such  a  universal 
popularity  as  can  scarcely  now  be  conceived,  even  by  those 
who  then  felt  the  whole  force  of  it,  and  no  one  can  at  this 
.time  offer  #ny  satisfactory  reasons  why  he  was  held  in  such 
high  estimation. 

In  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill  ;he  took  post  on  the  de 
clivity  towards  Chariest-own  Neck;  where  I  saw  him  on 
horseback  as  we  passed  on  to  Bread's  Hill,  with  Colonel 
Cierrish  by  his  side.  1  heard  the  gallant  Col.  Prescott  (who 
commanded  in  the  redoubt)  observe  after  the  war,  at  the 
table  of  his  Excellency  James  Bowdoin,  then  Governor  of 
this  Commonwealth,  "that  he  sent  three  messengers  dur 
ing  the  battle  to  Gen.  Putnam  requesting  him  to  come 
forward  and  take  the  command,  there  being  no  general 
officer  present,  and  the  relative  rank  of  the  Colonel  not 
having  been  settled;  but  that  he  received  no  answer,  and 
his  whole  conduct  was  such,  both  during  the  action  and 
the  retreat,  that  he  ought  to  have  been  shot."  He  re 
mained  at  or  near  the  top  of  Bunker  Hill  until  the  retreat, 
with  Col.  Gerrish  by  his  side;  I  saw  them  together  when 
we  retreated.  He  not  only  continued  at  that  distance 
himself  during  the  whole  of  the  action,  but  had  a  force 
with  him  nearly  as  large  as  that  engaged.  No  reinforce 
ment  of  men  'or  ammunition  was  sent  to  our  assistance; 
and,  instead  of  attempting  to  cover  the  retreat  of  those 
who  expended  their  last  shot  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  he 
retreated  in  company  with  Col.  Gerrish  and  his  whole 
force  without  discharging  a  single  musket;  but  what  is  still 
more  astonishing,  Col.  Gerrish  was  arrested  for  cowardice, 
tried,  cashiered,  and  universally  execrated;  while  not  a 
word  was  said  against  the  conduct  of  Gen.  Putnam,  whose 
c.r  Ira  ordinary  popularity  alone  saved  him,  not  only  from 


386 

trial,  but  even  from  censure.  Col.  Gerrish  commanded  a 
regiment  and  should  have  been  at  its  head.  His  regiment 
was  not  in  action  although  ordered,  but  as  he  was  in  the  suit 
of  the  General,  and  appeared  to  be  in  the  situation  of  Ad 
jutant  General,  why  he  was  not  directed  by  Putnam  to 
join  it,  or  the  regiment  sent  into  action  under  the  senior 
officer  present  with  it. 

When  Gen.  Putnam's  ephemeral  and  unaccountable 
popularity  subsided  or  faded  away,  and  the  minds  of  the 
people  were  released  from  the  shackels  of  a  delusive  trance, 
the  circumstances  relating  to  Bunker  Hill  were  viewed  and 
talked  of  in  a  very  different  light,  and  the  selection  of  the 
unfortunate  Col.  Gerrish  as  a  scape-goat  considered  as  a 
mysterious  and  inexplicable  event. 

I  have  no  private  feeling  to  gratify  by  making  this 
statement  in  relation  to  Gen.  Putnam,  as  I  never  had  any 
intercourse  with  him,  and  was  only  in  the  army  where  he 
was  present  for  a  few  months ;  but  at  this  late  period,  I  con 
ceive  it  a  duty  to  give  a  fair  and  impartial  account  of  one 
of  the  most  important  battles  during  the  war  of  independ 
ence,  and  all  the  circumstances  connected  with  it  so 
far  as  I  had  the  means  of  being  correctly  informed. 

It  is  a  duty  I  owe  to  posterity,  and  the  character  of  those 
brave  officers  who  bore  a  share  in  the  hardships  of  the 
revolution. 

Nothing  like  discipline  had  entered  our  army  at  that 
time.  Gen.  Ward,  then  commander  in  chief,  remained  at 
his  quarters  in  Cambridge,  and  apparently  took  no  interest 
or  part  in  the  transactions  of  the  day. 

No  general  officer  except  Putnam,  appeared  in  sight, 
nor  did  any  officer  assume  the  command,  undertake  to 
form  the  troops,  or  give  any  orders,  that  I  heard,  except 
Col.  Stark,  who  directed  his  regiment  to  reserve  their  fire 
on  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  until  they  advanced  again. 
Every  platoon  officer  was  engaged  in  discharging  his  own 
musket,  and  left  his  men  to  fire  as  they  pleased,  but  never 


387 

without  a  sure  aim  at  some  particular  object,  which  was 
more  destructive  than  any  mode  which  could  have  been 
adopted  with  troops  who  were  not  inured  to  discipline, 
and  never  had  been  in  battle,  but  were  still  familiar  with 
the  use  of  arms  from  boyhood,  and  each  having  his  peculiar 
manner  of  loading  and  firing,  which  had  been  practiced 
upon  for  years  with  the  same  gun ;  any  attempt  to  control 
them  by  uniformity  and  system,  would  have  rendered  their 
fires  infinitely  less  fatal  to  the  enemy.  Not  an  officer  or 
soldier  of  the  Continental  troops  engaged  was  in  uniform 
but  were  in  the  plain  and  ordinary  dress  of  citizens;  nor 
was  there  an  officer  on  horseback. 

(Signed)          H.  DEARBORN. 


In  the  foregoing  accounts  it  will  be  noticed,  as  a  thing 
hardly  to  have  been  expected,  that  the  narrators  should 
have  so  well  agreed  in  all  the  leading  features  of  their  nar 
rations;  when,  too,  it  is  considered  that  they  were  very 
little  acquainted  with  each  other  during  the  Kevolutionary 
War,  never  having  served  in  the  same  corps  or  division 
of  the  army,  or  been  intimate  afterwards  in  civil  life.  In 
one  particular  only  do  they  differ,  and  that  of  little  or  no 
consequence  as  respects  the  main  transactions  of  the  day. 
Heath  and  Wilkinson  state  that  Gen.  Warren  fell  at  the 
commencement  of  or  during  the  retreat.  Dearborn  says 
he  fell  early  in  the  action. 

In  this  particular  the  veracity  of  the  narrators  is^not 
necessarily  impeached.  Heath  and  Wilkinson  were  neither 
of  them  present  when  the  fate  of  Warren  was  sealed,  and 
therefore  must  have  made  their  statement  from  common 
report,  or  from  the  best  information  they  could  obtain  at 
the  time  they  wrote.  Dearborn  with  more  correctness  tells 
us  how  he  came  by  his  information,  for  he  was  not  person- 


388 

ally  acquainted  with  Warren.  Seeing  a  well-dressed  man 
dead,  he  inquired  who  it  was,  and  was  told,  "It  is  Dr.  War 
ren."  This  was  in  the  course  of  the  action,  and  there  could 
have  been  no  inducement  for  the  person  inquired  of  to  have 
given  wrong  information.  This  question  is  settled  by  Dea 
con  Lawrence  of  Groton,  who  knew  General  Warren  well, 
"saw  him  when  the  ball  struck  him,  and  from  that  time  till 
he  expired,"  and  this  was  during  the  action. 

But  what  was  not  to  have  been  expected,  is,  that  all 
the  above  accounts  should  be  contradicted  and  attempted 
to  be  invalidated  by  the  statement  of  a  Col.  John  Small 
of  the  British  army,  related  to  Col.  John  Trumbull  in 
London,  and  by  Trumbull  related  to  Col.  Daniel  Putnam, 
the  son  of  Gen.  Putnam,  and  published  by  the  latter  gentle 
man  in  1818,  and  is  as  follows :  "  In  the  summer  of  1786, 
I  became  acquainted  in  London  with  Col.  John  Small,  of 
the  British  army,  who  had  served  in  America  many  years, 
and  had  known  General  Putnam  intimately  during  the  war 
of  Canada  from  1756  to  1763.  Prom  him  I  had  the  two  fol 
lowing  anecdotes  respecting  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill;  I 
shall  nearly  repeat  his  words:  Looking  at  the 
picture  which  I  had  almost  completed,  he  said: 
"  I  do  not  like  the  situation  in  which  you  have 
placed  my  old  friend  Putnam;  you  have  not  done 
him  justice.1  I  wish  you  would  alter  that  part  of 
your  picture,  and  introduce  a  circumstance  which  actually 
happened,  and  which  I  can  never  forget.  When  the  Brit 
ish  troops  advanced  the  second  time  to  the  attack  of  the 
redoubt,  I,  with  other  officers,  was  in  the  front  of  the  line 
to  encourage  the  men ;  we  had  advanced  very  Hear  the  works 
undisturbed,  when  an  irregular  fire  like  a  feu-de-joie  was 
poured  in  upon  us ;  it  was  cruelly  fatal.  The  troops  fell 
back,  and  when  I  looked  to  the  right  and  left,  I  saw  not  one 
officer  standing;  I  glanced  my  eye  to  the  enemy  and  saw 
several  young  men  levelling  their  pieces  at  me ;  I  knew  their 

IThe  injustice  Small  here  alluded  to,  was  that  Trumbull  in  his 
picture  of  Bunker  Hill,  had  placed  Putnam  on  the  hill  above  where  the 
battle  was  and  about  600  yards  from  it. 


389 

excellence  as  marksmen,  and  considered  myself  gone.  At 
that  moment  my  old  friend  Putnam  rushed  forward,  and 
striking  up  the  muzzles  of  their  pieces  with  his  sword,  cried 
out,  "For  God's  sakes,  my  lads,  don't  fire  at  that  man — I 
love  him  as  I  do  my  brother."  We  were  so  near  each  other 
that  I  heard  his  words  distinctly.  He  was  obeyed ;  I  bowed, 
thanked  him,  and  walked  away  unmolested. 

The  other  anecdote  relates  to  the  death  of  Gen.  Warren : 

"At  the  moment  when  the  troops  succeeded  in  carrying 
the  redoubt,  and  the  Americans  were  in  full  retreat,  Gen. 
Howe  (who  had  been  hurt  by  a  spent  ball  which  bruised 
his  ankle)  was  leaning  on  my  arm.  He  called  suddenly 
to  me :  "  Do  you  see  that  elegant  young  man  who  has  just 
fallen?  Do  you  know  him?"  I  looked  to  the  spot  towards 
which  he  pointed — "  Good  God,  Sir,  I  believe  it  is  my  friend 
Warren."  "  Leave  me  then  instantly — run — keep  off  the 
troops,  save  him  if  possible."  I  flew  to  the  spot,  "  my  dear 
friend,"  I  said  to  him,  "  I  hope  you  are  not  badly  hurt" — he 
looked  up,  seemed  to  recollect  me,  smiled  and  died !  a  mus 
ket  ball  had  passed  through  the  upper  part  of  his  head. 

JOHN  TRUMBULL. 
DANIEL  PUTNAM,  Esq." 

If  the  story  of  Small  is  true,  Dearborn  is  mistaken  as  to 
the  time  of  Warren's  death,  and  Heath,  Lee  and  Winkinson 
as  well  as  Dearborn,  are  mistaken  as  to  who  was  the  proper 
commanding  officer  in  the  redoubt.  They  all  say  Prescott 
was,  but  if  Putnam  was  present  in  the  redoubt,  as^Small 
would  have  it,  then  he  was  the  commander,  being  senior  to 
Prescott. 

There  is  considerable  reason  from  the  face  of  Small's 
story,  to  induce  us  to  doubt  its  correctness.  The  conversa 
tion  between  Putnam  and  Small,  considering  the  time, 
place  and  situation  of  the  parties,  is  unnatural.  If  Put 
nam  was  desirous  of  saving  the  life  of  Small,  from  former 
acquaintance  and  attachment,  there  could  be  no  good  rea- 


390 

son  why  he  should  not  have  made  him  a  prisoner  as  was  his 
duty,  and  certainly  in  his  power. 

It  is  not  probable  that  this  conversation  should  have 
taken  place,  and  eight  hundred  persons  present  in  the 
redoubt,  and  within  hearing  distance,  and  no  one  then  or 
since  heard  a  word  of  it  till  1818,  thirty-three  years  after 
Small  says  it  happened.  The  other  part  of  Small's  story 
relating  to  the  death  of  Gen.  Warren,  is  not  more  probable 
from  the  face  of  it.  Warren  was  not  a  young  man,  as  Small 
calls  him,  having  received  the  honors  of  Harvard  University 
in  1759,  he  was  at  least  middle-aged.  Small  calls  Warren 
his  friend ;  this  implies  a  previous  and  intimate  acquaint 
ance.  How  could  this  have  been;  Warren  was  not  in  the 
War  of  Canada,  and  from  the  time  Small  arrived  in  Bos 
ton  in  1775  to  the  day  of  Bunker  Hill  battle,  Small  was  be 
sieged  in  Boston,  and  Warren  presiding  in  the  Provincial 
Congress  at  Watertown. 

It  is  not  improbable  from  the  face  of  Small's  story  to 
Trumbull,  that  Trumbull  has  mistaken  his  story,  or  more 
probable  that  the  whole  is  the  mere  rodomontade  of  Small. 
It  has  always  been  acknowledged  that  Gen.  Howe  was  the 
bravest  among  the  brave,  and  exposed  his  person  more  than 
usual  on  that  day,  but  Small  surpassed  him,  for  when 
Howe  thought  it  prudent  to  retire  from  the  scene  of  butcn- 
ery,  Small  remained  exposed  and  alone,  and  uselessly  so. 

If  these  observations,  together  with  the  impartial  nar 
ratives  of  four  general  officers  of  the  American  army  are 
not  sufficient  to  entirely  invalidate  Small's  statement,  there 
is  further  and  sufficient  proof  to  destroy  it.  The  following 
statement  of  Deacon  Lawrence,  under  oath,  goes  directly 
to  the  point : 

"  I,  Samuel  Lawrence,  of  Groton,  Esquire,  testify  an3 
say,  that  I  was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  (so-called)  in 
Col.  William  Prescott's  regiment;  that  I  marched  with 
the  regiment  to  the  point  on  Breed's  Hill  which  was  fixed 


3§1 

on  for  a  redoubt;  that  I  assisted  in  throwing  up  the  work, 
and  in  forming  a  redoubt  under  Col.  Prescott,  who  directed 
the  whole  of  this  operation.  The  work  was  begun  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  June  16th,  1775.  I  was  there 
the  whole  time,  and  continued  in  the  redoubt,  or  in  the  lit 
tle  fort  during  the  whole  battle,  until  the  enemy  came  in 
and  a  retreat  was  ordered. 

Gen.  Putnam  was  not  present  either  while  the  works  were 
erecting  or  during  the  battle.  I  could  see  distinctly  the 
rail  fence  and  the  troops  stationed  there  during  the  battle, 
but  Gen.  Putnam  was  not  present  as  I  saw.  Just  before 
the  battle  commenced,  Gen.  Warren  came  to  the  redoubt. 
He  had  on  a  blue  coat,  white  waistcoat,  and  I  think  a 
cocked  hat,  but  of  this  I  am  not  certain— Col.  Prescott  ad 
vanced  to  him,  said  "  he  was  glad  to  see  him,  and  hoped  he 
would  take  the  command."  General  Warren  replied,  "no, 
he  came  to  see  the  action,  but  not  to  take  command ;  that  he 
was  only  a  volunteer  on  that  day."  Afterwards  I  saw  Gen 
eral  Warren  shot;  I  saw  him  when  the  ball  struck  him, 
and  from  that  time  until  he  expired.  NoT  British  officer 
was  within  forty  or  fifty  rods  of  him  from  the  time  the 
ball  struck  him  until  I  saw  he  was  dead. 

(Signed)     SAMUEL  LAWRENCE." 
Sworn  to  before  Samuel  Dana,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  &c. 

The  following  statement  of  Samuel  B.  Trevett,  point- 
tedly  contradicts  Col.  SmalFs  story. 

"  I  commanded  a  company  of  artilley  from  the  town  of 
Marblehead,  attached  to  Col.  Richard  Gridley's  regiment, 
stationed  at  Cambridge.  About  one  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  of  the  17th  of  June,  1775,  I  left  Cambridge  with  my 
company  for  Bunker's  Hill.  When  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  Colleges  I  saw  Gen.  Putnam  pass  upon  a 
horse  towards  the  town  of  Cambridge,  and  in  15  or  20  min 
utes  I  saw  him  pass  in  like  manner  towards  Charlestown. 


392 

When  I  arrived  at  Bunker's  Hill,  on  the  northwest  side,  I 
there  saw  Gen.  Putnam  dismounted  in  company  with  sev 
eral  others.  I  halted  my  company  and  went  forward  to  select 
a  station  for  my  pieces,  and  on  my  return  saw  Gen.  Put 
nam  as  before;  the  American  and  English  forces  being 
then  engaged.  I  proceeded  on  with  my  company  and  soon 
after  joined  that  part  of  the  American  force  at  the  rail 
fence,  towards  Mystic  river;  the  Americans  commenced  a 
general  retreat.  As  I  was  descending  the  northwest  side  of 
Bunker's  Hill,  I  again  saw  Gen.  Putnam  in  the  same  place, 
putting  his  tent  upon  his  horse.  I  asked  him  where  I  should 
retreat  with  the  field-piece  I  had  brought  off ;  he  replied  to 
Cambridge,  and  I  accordingly  marched  my  company  to 
Cambridge. 

In  the  month  of  May  or  June,  1795,  being  in  the  island 
of  Guernsey,  I  had  occasion  in  the  course  of  business  to 
call  upon  Maj.  (alias  Col.)  Small,  the  Governor.  After 
closing  my  business  with  him,  he  remarked  that  my  coun 
tenance  was  not  new  to  him,  and  enquired  where  he  had 
seen  me.  I  replied  that  it  must  have  been  at  Col.  Inger- 
solFs  tavern  in  Boston — and  that  I  had  once  been  opposed 
to  him  in  action.  He  immediately  entered  into  a  free 
and  general  conversation  on  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill 
—but  he  made  no  inquiry  after  Gen.  Putnam,  nor  did  he 
in  any  way,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  allude  to  him, 
either  as  a  friend  or  an  officer. 

SAMUEL  R.  TREVETT." 
Boston,  June  2,  1818. 

Affidavit  of  Robert  Bradford  WUkins. 

"  I,  Eobert  B.  Wilkins,  of  Concord,  county  of  Rocking- 
ham,  State  of  New  Hampshire,  do  testify  and  say,  that  I 
acted  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  battle  of  Breed's  Hill, 
otherwise  called  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  on  the  17th  of 
June,  1775 ;  that  I  was  attached  to  Capt.  Levi  Spaulding's 
company,  of  Col.  James  Reed's  regiment;  that  I  was  on 


383 

that  day  stationed  in  Charlestown,  below  the  Neck  and  on 
the  main  street;  that  our  company  proceeded  from  thence 
on  to  Bunker's  Hill,  over  the  hollow,  and  on  to  Breed's 
Hill,  that  after  our  company  arrived  at  the  works, 
near  Mystic  river,  1  was  sent  back  on  an  errand,  by 
the  Captain,  to  the  house  where  we  had  been  stationed, 
and  on  returning  by  an  route  nearer  to  the  Neck  than  that 
we  first  passed,  I  saw  Gen.  Putnam  with  Col.  Gerrish,  as 
near  as  I  could  judge,  one  hundred  rods  from  the  line  and 
troops  I  had  left ;  that  the  firing  with  small  arms  com 
menced  after  I  had  returned  the  second  time;  that  in  the 
action  the  enemy  were  three  times  repulsed ;  that  in  the  in 
terval  between  the  second  and  third  repulse,  I  received  a 
severe  wound  from  a  musket  ball  in  my  right  elbow  joint, 
for  which  wound  I  have  since  received  a  pension  from  the 
government  of  the  United  States;  that  I  then  left  the  field 
of  battle  just  before  the  retreat  of  the  Americans 
from  the  fort  and  passed  on  to  Bunker's  Hill,  where  I  found 
Gen.  Putnam  and  Col.  Gerrish  in  nearly  the  same  place 
where  I  first  saw  them ;  that  I  was  then  almost  exhausted 
from  the  loss  of  blood ;  that  Col.  Gerrish  gave  me  some  re 
freshment  and  bound  a  handkerchief  around  my  arm  at  the 
place  of  my  wound,  and  sent  two  men  to  assist  me  over 
the  Neck,  who  left  me  before  I  had  cleared  the  Neck, 
and  I  fell  and  lay  on  the  ground  until  nearly  all 
the  Americans  had  retreated  from  the  hill,  when  I  was 
helped  off.  I  served  from  the  commencement  to  the  close 
of  the  Kevolutionary  War,  and  acted  successively  as  a  pri 
vate,  a  Sergeant,  Ensign  and  Lieutenant. 

ROBERT  B.  WILKINS." 

Sworn  to  before  Samuel  Greene,  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
May  30,  1818. 


394: 

Rev.  Dr.  William  Bentley's  statement. 

SALEM,  May  20,  1818. 

"  I  was  with  Gen.  Stark  on  the  31st  of  May,  1810.  I 
always  had  a  deep  interest  in  the  man,  and  usually  kept 
a  notice  of  the  subject  of  our  conversation.  I  found  him 
in  great  good  humor,  and  soon  upon  his  old  war  stories, 
which  I  did  not  take  care  minutely  to  preserve,  because 
Maj.  Caleb  Stark  had  told  me  he  was  collecting  every 
thing  worthy  of  the  public  eye,  and  to  be  published  after 
his  father's  decease,  and  in  due  honor  of  his  memory.  As 
among  other  objects,  I  intended  to  get  a  likeness,  and  was 
uncertain  of  success,  among  the  maps,  prints,  and  papers 
I  carried  him  were  some  portraits,  and  among  them  was 
one  of  Gen.  Putnam.  I  recollect  upon  the  sight  of  the 
head  of  Gen.  Putnam,  he  said,  "My  Chaplain,"  as  he  called 
me,  "you  know  my  opinion  of  that  man.  Had  he  done  his 
duty  he  would  have  decided  the  fate  of  his  country  in  the 
first  action."  He  then  proceeded  to  describe  to  me  the  scene 
of  action,  and  the  " pen"  as  he  called  the  enclosed  works 
and  breast  works,  and  gave  his  reasons  for  not  entering 
it,  and  the  want  of  judgment  in  the  works.  He  then  told 
me  where  he  saw  Gen.  Putnam,  and  what  was  done  on  the 
occasion,  and  his  remarks  were  as  severe  as  his  genius  and 
the  sentiments  of  ardent  patriotism  could  make  them.  As 
Gen.  Stark  always  used  the  same  language  on  the  subject, 
it  will  be  recollected  by  many  of  his  friends. 

WILLIAM  BENTLEY." 


Certificate  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Chaplin,  D.  D.  of  Groton, 
and  Rev.  John  Bullard  of  Pepperell. 

"  This  may  certify  the  public,  that  we,  whose  names  we 
have  given,  were  in  the  habits  of  intimacy  with  Col.  W. 
Prescott,  of  Pepperell,  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity, 
during  most  of  the  period  after  he  left  the  Revolutionary 
army  until  his  death ;  that  at  sundry  times  in  conversation 


395 

with  him  about  the  war,  particularly  about  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  so-called,  he  uniformly  told  us  that  Major 
General  Warren  came  to  the  fort  on  Breed's  Hill,  which 
had  been  formed  the  night  preceding,  a  little  before  the 
British  made  an  attack  on  the  works ;  that  he,  Col.  Prescott, 
said  to  Gen.  Warren,  "  I  am  happy  to  see  you,  General,"  or 
using  words  to  the  same  effect,  "for  you  will  now  take  com 
mand,  and  I  will  obey  your  orders  and  am  relieved."  Said 
General  Warren  to  him  in  reply,  "  I  have  no  command 
here,  Col.  Prescott,  I  am  a  volunteer ;  I  came  to  learn  actual 
service."  Prescott  said,  "I  wish  then  you  would  look  at  the 
works  we  have  thrown  up,  and  give  your  opinion."    War 
ren  replied,  "You  are  better  acquainted  with  military  mat 
ters  than  I  am."  After  which  they  immediately  parted  and 
met  not  again.    Col.  Prescott  further  informed  us  repeat 
edly,  that  when  a  retreat  was  ordered  and  commenced,  he 
was  descending  the  hill,  he  met  General  Putnam  and  said 
to  him,  "Why  did  you  not  support  me,  General,  with  your 
men,  as  I  had  reason  to  expect,  according  to  agreement?" 
Putnam  answered,  "  I  could  not  drive  the  dogs  up."    Pres 
cott  pointedly  said  to  him,  "  If  you  could  not  drive  them 
up,  you  might  have  led  them  up."    We  have  good  reason 
to  believe  further,  from  declarations  of  some  of  our  par- 
ishoners,  men  of  respectability,  whose  veracity  cannot  be 
doubted,  who  belonged  to  Col.  Prescott's  regiment,  and 
were  present  through  the  whole  service,  that  Gen.  Putnam 
was  not  on  Breed's  Hill  the  night  preceding,  or  on  that 
day,  except  that  just  before  the  attack  was  made,  he  might 
have  gone  to  the  fort  and  ordered  the  tools  to  be  carried 
off,  that  they  might  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  in 
the  event  of  his  carrying  the  works  and  holding  the  ground, 
and  that  he  and  his  men,  with  Col.  Gerrish  remained  on  the 
side  of  Bunker  Hill  towards  the  Neck  during  the  whole 
action. 

( Signed )     DANIEL  CHAPLIN, 

JOHN  BULLARD. 
Groton,  June  5,  1818." 


396 
Statement  of  the  Hon.  Abel  Parker,  Judge  of  Probate. 

"As  I  was  in  the  battle  on  Breed's  Hill,  other 
wise  called  Bunker's  Hill,  on  the  17th  day  of 
June,  1775,  and  there  received  one  ball  through  my  leg, 
another  having  passed  through  niy  clothes,  all  accounts  of 
that  battle  which  1  have  seen  published  have  been  to  me  ex 
tremely  interesting.  But  I  have  never  seen  any  account 
which  I  considered  in  any  degree  correct  until  the  one  pub 
lished  by  Gen.  Dearborn.  On  perusing  that  account  with 
the  utmost  attention,  I  could  discover  but  one  mistake  and 
that  related  to  his  assertion  "that  there  was  not  a  man  that 
flinched,"  or  to  that  effect,  for  his  narrative  is  not  now  be 
fore  me,  and  even  in  that  case,  I  believe  the  General's  as 
sertion  may  be  strictly  true  if  his  meaning  be  confined  to  the 
time  after  his  arrival  on  the  hill.  Previous  to  that,  there 
were  many  who  left  the  ground  at  the  fort,  particularly  at 
the  landing  of  the  British  troops ;  but  after  the  commence 
ment  of  the  battle  with  small  arms,  I  know  of  no  man's 
leaving  his  post,  until  the  order  to  retreat  was  given  by  Col. 
Prescott.  But  notwithstanding  the  correctness  of  Gen. 
Dearborn's  description  of  that  battle,  some  persons  seem 
to  be  much  exasperated  by  it,  in  particular  as  to  what  he 
asserted  in  regard  to  Gen.  Putnam.  As  long  as  they  con 
fined  themselves  to  mere  declamation  without  bringing 
forward  any  evidence  to  disapprove  the  General's  asser 
tion,  I  deemed  it  unnecessary  for  me  to  appear  in  vin 
dication  of  the  General's  statement.  But  on  perusing  a 
letter  from  Col.  Trumbull  to  Col.  Putnam,  wherein  men 
tion  is  made  of  a  conversation  with  Col.  Small  in  London, 
I  concluded,  notwithstanding  my  aversion  to  taking  any 
part  in  a  newspaper  discussion,  that  to  remain  any  longer 
silent,  would  be  absolutely  criminal.  I  shall,  therefore, 
in  as  concise  a  manner  as  possible,  state  what  I  know  relat 
ing  to  that  memorable  battle.  Immediately  after  the  bat 
tle  of  Lexington,  I  engaged  in  the  service  of  my  country, 
in  Capt.  John  Nutting's  company,  in  the  regiment  com- 


397 

manded  by  Col.  William  Prescott.    Both  of  these  officers 
belonged  to  the  town  of  Pepperell,  where  I  then  lived.    I 
was  at  this  time  a  little  more  than  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
On  the  16th  day  of  June  following,  Colonel  Prescott's  reg 
iment  with  two  or  three  others,  were  ordered  to  march  and 
take  possession  of  Bunker's  Hill.     On  our  arrival  at  the 
place  called  Charlestown  Neck,  a  halt  was  made,  and  Capt. 
Nutting's  company,  with  ten  of  the  Connecticut  troops, 
were  detached  to  proceed  into  Charlestown  as  a  guard,  the 
remainder  marched  to  the  hill,  which  in  fact  was  Breed's, 
and  not  Bunker's  Hill,  where  they  commenced  building  a 
small  fort.     In  the  morning,  not  far  from  sun-rising,  the 
alarm  was  fired  from  the  British  vessel  lying  in  the  river. 
Sometime  after  this,  Nutting's  company  left  the  town  and 
marched  to  join  the  regiment  on  the  hill.    When  we  arrived 
there  the  fort  was  in  considerable  forwardness,  and  the 
troops  commenced  throwing  up  the  breast-Avork  mentioned 
by  General  Dearborn.    We  had  not  been  long  employed  in 
that  work  before  the  cannon  shot  from  a  hill  in  Boston 
and  the  vessels  lying  in  the  river  were  poured  in  upon  us 
in  great  profusion.     However,  the  work  progressed  until 
it  would  answer  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  designed. 
But  the  firing  from  the  British  artillery  continued  with 
unabated  fury.     Sometime  before  this,  there  was  brought 
to  the  fort  several  brass  field-pieces,  one  of  which  was  actu 
ally  fired  towards  Boston,  but  the  ball  did  not  reach  the 
town.     It  had  this  effect,  however,  on  the  British,  that  it 
made  them  double  their  diligence  in  firing  upon  us.    In  the 
time  of  this  heavy  fire,  I,  for  the  first  time  that  day,  saw 
General  Putnam  standing  with  others,    under    cover    of 
the  north  wall  of  the  fort,  where,  I  believe,  he  remained  un 
til  the  British  troops  made  their  appearance  in  their  boats. 
At  this  time  the  artillery  was  withdrawn  from  the  fort, 
but  by  whose  orders,  I  know  not,  and  General  Putnam,  at, 
or  near  the  same  time,  left  the  fort.    The  removing  of  the 
artillery  and  Gen.  Putnam's  departure  took  place  a  little 
before   (if  my  memory  be  correct)   the  New  Hampshire 


398 

troops  made  their  appearance  on  the  hill.  I  saw  them 
when  they  arrived  and  witnessed  their  dexterity  in  throw 
ing  up  their  breast- work  of  rails  and  hay.  When  the  Brit 
ish  first  made  their  attack  with  small  arms,  I  was  at  the 
breast-work,  where  I  remained  until  I  received  my  wound 
from  the  party  who  flanked  it ;  I  then  went  to  the  fort  where 
I  remained  until  the  order  to  retreat  was  given  by  Col. 
Prescott.  After  my  arrival  at  the  fort  I  had  a  perfect  op 
portunity  of  viewing  the  operations  of  the  day,  and  dis 
tinctly  noticed  Col.  Prescott  as  the  only  person  who  took 
upon  him  any  command.  He  frequently  ordered  the  men 
from  one  side  to  the  other  in  order  to  defend  that  part 
which  was  prest  hardest  by  the  enemy;  and  I  was  within 
a  few  yards  of  him  when  the  order  to  retreat  was  given; 
and  I  affirm  that  at  that  time  Gen.  Putnam  was  not  in  the 
fort,  neither  had  he  been  there  at  any  time  after  my  enter 
ing  the  same;  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  declaring,  that 
the  story  told  by  Col.  Small  to  Col.  Trumbull,  concerning 
Gen.  Putnam's  saving  him  from  the  fire  of  our  men  at  that 
time,  is  altogether  unfounded. 

ABEL  PARKER." 
Jeffrey,  N.  H.,  May  27,  1818. 


Gen.  Wilkinson  in  his  account  of  the  battle  says,  "  he 
has  been  assured  that  the  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp 
shire  troops  were  the  only  ones  engaged  in  the  action.  This 
is  a  mistake,  and  probably  arose  from  the  fact  that  Capt. 
Knowlton  of  the  Connecticut  line,  with  four  lieutenants, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  marched  on  to  the  hill 
on  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  June,  1775,  with  Col.  Prescott 
and  were  considered  a  part  of  his  command  of  one  thou 
sand  men.  Botta,  in  his  "History  of  the  War  of  the  In 
dependence  of  the  United  States  of  America,"  considers 
Prescott,  Stark  and  Knowlton  as  separate  commanders  of 


399 

the  allied  forces  engaged.  He  says :  "The  troops  of  Mas 
sachusetts  commanded  by  Col.  Prescott,  occupied  Charles- 
town,  the  redoubt,  and  part  of  the  trench;  those  of  Con 
necticut,  commanded  by  Capt.  Knowlton,  and  those  of  New 
Hampshire,  commanded  by  Col.  Stark,  the  rest  of  the 
trench. 

Captain  Knowlton  was  a  native  of  Ashford,  Connecti 
cut,  and  during  the  siege  of  Boston  was  promoted  to  a 
majority,  and  commanded  the  party  which  burnt  the  resi 
due  of  the  buildings  in  Charlestown  in  the  night  time,  which 
service  was  performed  to  the  approbation  of  the  commander 
in  chief,  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy's  batteries  on  Bunker's 
Hill,  which  they  had  fortified  and  then  occupied.  During 
the  occupancy  of  New  York  by  Washington,  he  was  pro 
moted  to  a  Lieutenant  Colonelcy,  and  after  the  unfortun 
ate,  if  not  disgraceful  retreat  of  the  Americans  from  that 
city,  the  enemy  appeared  before  our  lines  at  Harlem 
Heights,  when  Knowlton  was  personally  called  on  by  Wash 
ington  to  meet  and  check  their  advance,  and  inspirit  our 
dejected  army,  which  he  did  with  alacrity  and  great  ani 
mation.  In  this  rencontre  he  lost  his  valuable  life. 

He  was  a  brave  and  intelligent  officer  and  an  ardent  and 
upright  patriot ;  always  first  among  equals. 

His  four  Lieutenants  were  John  Keyes, Huntington, 

Thomas  Grosvenor,  and  Esquire  Hills.  Keyes  and  Hills 
were  both  from  Ashford1,  and  in  1818  both  were  alive  and 
residing  in  the  State  of  New  York.  How  long  they  con 
tinued  in  the  army  or  what  rank  they  attained  during  the 
war  of  Independence  is  not  known.  But  Keyes,  after  the 
war,  had  the  title  of  General,  and  Hills  that  of  Captain. 
By  their  contemporaries  they  were  considered  excellent 
officers. 

1  Godfrey  Grosvenor,  Esq.  of  Minot,  formerly  of  Connecticut,  be 
lieves  Gen.  Huntington  to  have  been  one  of  Knowlton's  Lieutenants. 
Lemuel  Grosvenor,  now  Postmaster  of  Pomfret,  Conn.,  now  79  years 
old,  and  who  was  in  the  army  at  Boston,  is  not  certain;  but  names  the 
three  above,  and  if  Huntington  was  not  one.  he  is  at  a  loss  to  recollect 
who  was. 


400 

Huntington  was  afterwards  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Brig.  General  on  the  Continental  establishment,  and  left 
the  army  at  the  close  of  the  war  with  that  rank. 

Grosvenor,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  commanded  a  regi 
ment  on  the  continental  establishment.  Both  the  latter 
gentlemen  during  their  military  career  were  always  re 
spected  and  sometimes  distinguished,  as  the  rapidity  of 
their  promotions  would  indicate.  In  civil  life  they  were 
highly  respected.  They  were  both  living  in  Connecticut 
since  the  year  1818. 

Such  a  corps  as  Knowlton's,  and  thus  officered,  deserve 
to  be  noticed  as  the  compeers  of  Prescott  and  Stark. 

Knowlton  lost  more  men  in  the  action  than  any  corps  of 
the  army  engaged  in  the  action  on  Breed's  Hill,  according 
to  the  numbers  he  commanded. 

From  the  foregoing  accounts  it  may  be  presumed  that 
all  the  facts  relative  to  this  important  day,  of  sufficient 
magnitude  to  be  transmitted  to  posterity  are  to  be  found. 
And  at  least  one  mistake  rectified.  This  relates  to  an  indi 
vidual,  Col.  Samuel  Gerrish,  who,  till  this  day  stood  high 
in  the  public  estimation.  He  had  been  an  officer  of  re 
spectable  standing  in  the  French  war,  and  then  recently 
elected  unanimously  by  the  Provincial  Congress,  the  first 
Colonel  in  the  Massachusetts  forces.  After  this  battle  he 
was  arrested  for  cowardice,  tried,  cashiered  and  univer 
sally  execrated.  No  one  in  the  army  at  the  time  who  was 
acquainted  with  the  transaction  believed  him  guilty.  The 
general  opinion  and  conversation  was,  that  the  army  that 
day  were  guilty  of  many  sins,  and  Gerrish,  being  the  largest 
man  in  it,  was  selected  to  make  the  atonement. 

The  late  Judge  Tudor,  who  acted  as  Judge  Advocate  to 
the  Court  Martial,  has  publically  and  repeatedly  said  that 
he  considered  Col.  Gerrish  as  very  hardly  dealt  by.  Col. 
James  Scamman,  who  commanded  a  regiment  on  that  day, 
from  the  County  of  York,  and  arrested,  tried  and  ac 
quitted  of  the  same  charge,  always  declared,  when  speak 
ing  of  Gerrish's  fate,  that  any  officer  in  the  army  might 


401 

have  been  found  guilty  of  the  same  offence,  with  as  much 
justice  as  Gerrish.  These  individual  opinions  were  not  con 
sidered  by  many  of  sufficient  weight  to  balance  the  opinion 
of  a  Court  Martial  and  to  rescue  the  character  of  Gerrish 
from  infamy — although  it  may  be  admitted  that  all  Courts, 
and  especially  Courts  Martial,  are  oten  influenced,  if  not 
governed,  by  feelings  and  prejudices,  and  sometimes  by 
corruption.  But  when  Gen.  Dearborn,  who  always  acted 
without  fear  or  reproach,  adds  his  opinion  in  favor  of  Ger 
rish,  there  seems  to  be  no  sufficient  reason  why  he  should 
not  be  fully  credited. 

It  is  true  Gerrish  remained  on  Bunker  Hill,  out  of  the 
fire  of  the  enemy  during  the  action,  and  so  did  fifteen  hun 
dred  other  officers  and  privates,  who  should  have  been  in 
action,  among  whom  was  at  least  one  Major  General.  It 
was  never  pretended  that  Gerrish  was  ever  ordered 
by  this  general  officer  to  go  into  action;  but  on 
the  contrary,  this  general  was  desirous  to  fortify 
Bunker's  Hill,  instead  of  defending  Breed's  Hill,  which  was 
then  attacked ;  an'd  eventually  carried  for  the  want  of  these 
very  fifteen  hundred  men,  who  could  have  relieved  those 
engaged  in  five  minutes  march.  The  reason  Gen.  Putnam 
says  this  was  not  done,  was  that  he  could  not  drive  the  dogs 
up. 

The  motives  which  actuated  Gen.  Dearborn  in  making 
this  statement  in  favor  of  the  maltreated  Gerrish,  at  the 
time  he  did,  should  be  duly  appreciated,  as  nothing  but 
his  respect  for  the  truth,  and  his  object  that  of  rescuing  the 
character  of  an  honest  patriot  from  unjust  and  cruel  cen 
sure,  could  have  induced  him  to  make  this  statement. 


INDEX. 


Arnold,  Benedict,     27,     253-56,  272, 

308,  310. 

Allen,  Ethan,  28. 
Asgill,  Capt.,  334-342. 

B 

Baldwin,  Jeduthan,  22. 
Barber,  Col.  Francis,  365. 
Barry,  Capt.  John,  292,  362. 
Battle  (Battelle)  Capt.  John,  15. 
Bedel,  Timothy,  46. 
Bennington,  Battle  of,  125. 
Bergen,  action  at,  102. 
Boston,  Siege  of,  22-43. 
Brandywine,  Batltle  of,  126. 
British  Army  in  Boslton,  11. 
British  Army    advance    on    New 

York,  44-60. 

Brooklyn,  Battle  of,  56. 
Brier  Creek,  Ga.,  203. 
Bryant,  Capt,  126. 
Brown,  Lt.  Col.  John,  118,  240. 
Brown,  Lt.  Richard,  169,  175. 
Bunker's  Hill,  18,  19,  20. 
Burgoyne,  Surrender  of,  132-36. 
Burgoyne,  Letters,  140-184. 
Butt's  Hill,  192-3. 


Camden,  Battle  of,  252. 

Chapman,  Major,  60. 

Crane,  Thomas,  23,  58. 

Charlestown,  Surrender  of,  24-42. 

Chastellux,  Chevalier  de,  264-65. 

Chain  at  West  Point,  263. 

Cherry  Valley,  Massacre  at,  199. 

Chevaux  de  frise,  48. 

Church,  Dr.,  29. 

Cincinnati,  Society  of  the,  381-82. 

Concord,  12. 

Cornwallis  in  the  South.  276  et  seq 

Cowpens,  Battle  of,  273. 


Dark  Day  in  N.  E.,  236-38. 

De  Hart,  Major,  44. 

Declaration  of  Independence,     40. 

D'Estaing  Count,  188,  191,  etc. 

Dobbs  Perry,  69,  277,  295. 

Downer,   Dr.,   11,   200. 

Dunmore,   34. 

Pyclcman,  Abraham   330. 

Duel  between  officers,  331. 


East  Chester,  adtion  at,  219. 

Egg  Harbor,  Massacre  at,  196. 

Elbert,  Col.,  203. 

Enos,  Col.,  31. 

Eutaw  Springs,  Battle    of,  315-16. 


Falmouith  burnt,  29. 

Fernald,  Capt.  204. 

Fireships,  53,  54. 

Fort  Washington,  capture  of,  85- 

87. 

Fort  Clinton,  capture  of,  130. 
Fort  Montgomery,  capture  of,130. 
French  in  R.  I.,  243-251. 


Gardner,  Isaac,  14. 
Gates,  Horatio,  21,  197,  252. 
Germantown,  Battle  of,  131-2. 
Gleason,  Capt.,  61. 
Greaton,  Col.,  24. 
Greene,  Nathaniel,  21. 
Greene,  Col.  Christopher,  289. 
Gridley  Richard,  22. 
Guilford,  C.  H.,  Battle  of,  280. 

H 

Hackensack,    expedition    to,    99 

100. 

Harlem  Heights,  Battle  of,  60. 
Harnage,   Major  Henry,  184-85. 
Harraden,  Capt.  J.,  125. 
Henley,  Major  Thomas,  64-66. 
Hickey,  Thomas,  48. 
Hopkins,  Esek,  45. 
Hubbardton,  Battle  of,  121. 
Hobkirk's  Hill,  Battle  of,  291. 
Honeywell,  Capt.,  326. 
Hopkins,   Capt,   214. 
Huddy,   Capt.,  334-342. 


Jones,  John  Paul,  275. 
K 

Knox,  Henry,  22. 

Knowlton,  Major  Thomas,  61. 

King's  Bridge,  action    near,    107- 

110,  274. 
King's  Mountain,  Battle  of,  260-61 


Laurens,  John,  356. 

Lee,  Charles,  21,  88-91,  94-96,  356. 

Leitch,  Major,  61. 

Ledyard,  Col.,  307. 

Lexington,  12,  13. 

Long  Island,  Battle  of,  56. 


M 

Mamaroneck,  action  at,  74. 
Maxwell,  Gen.  Wm.,  202. 
Mayo,  John,  40. 
Mifflin,  Thomas,  21. 
Montgomery,  Richard,   21,   35. 
Montgomery,  Fort,  130. 
Monmouth,  Battle  of,  186-7. 
Morrisania,  actions    at,     228,  272, 

325,   326,   329. 
Mumford,  Adjt.,  26. 
Mutiny  Penn.  Line,  269-70. 
Mutiny  Mass.  Line,  226. 
Mutiny  N.  J.  Line,  272-73. 
Mutiny,  Conn.  Line,  345. 

N 

New  York,  operations  around,  61- 

71. 
New  London,  burnt,  306-8. 


Old  Tappan,  Massacre  at,  196. 
Oriskany,  Battle  of,  124. 


Saratoga,  Battle  of,  129. 

Savannah,  capture  of,  201. 

Savannah,  attack  on,  224. 

Schuyler  Philip,  21. 

Sherburne,  Major,  46. 

Simcoe,  Lieut-Col.,  222. 

South  Carolina,  partisan  warfare 

in,  292,  et  seq. 
Specht,  General,  194. 
Spencer,  Joseph,  21. 
Springfield,  N.  J.,  action    at,    101, 
Stark,  General,  241,  265. 
Staten  Island  Expedition,  125. 
Stony  Point,  attack  on,  212-13. 
Sullivan,  General,  21,  47,  218. 
Sullivan's  Island,  50. 
Sumter,  General,  292. 
Stirling,  Lord,  363. 


Tallmadge,  Major,  266. 

Thomas,   John,  21. 

Ticonderoga,  120. 

Trenton,  capture  of,  103. 

Trescott,  Major,  312. 

Trumbull,  Joseph,  2L 

Tryon    Invades    Conn..    IIS     202, 

208-9. 

Tupper,  Thomas,  23,  25. 
Turtle,  Bushnell's,  69. 


Paoli,  Massacre  of,  127. 
Paramus,  action  at,  234 
Pells  Neck,  action  at,  73    v 
Penobscot,   action  at,   235 
Percy,  Lord,  13,  14 
Pomeroy,  Seth,  21 
Poor,  General,  252. 
Pound  Ridge,  action  at,  208 
Preble,   Jedediah,  10,  11. 
Prescott,  General,  captured,  121 
Princeton,  Battle  of,  104. 
Putnam,  Israel,  21 
Putnam,    Rufus,   22 
Purchase,  action  near,  324. 


Red  Bank,  capture  of  137-38. 
Rhode  Island,  operations  in,  189- 

194. 

Rochambeau,  Count,  243-257. 
Rowley,  Major,  319. 


Vose,   Thomas,  25.. 


W 

Warren,   Joseph,  13,   14. 

Ward,  Artemas,  10,  .21. 

Ward,  Joseph,   16. 

Warner,   Seth,   273. 

Washington's  Farewell  to  his  Of 
ficers,  387-88. 

Waters,  Josiah,  22. 

West  Chester,  N.  Y.,  action  at,  70. 

Whilte  Plains,  battle  of,  77-82. 

Williams  Bridge,  action  near, 
111-12. 

Willett,    Colonel,   318-19. 

Wisner,  John,  58. 

Wooster,  David,  21. 


Young's  House,  action  at,  230-32. 
Yorkftown  Campaign,  297,  318. 


ERRATA. 

P.  43.      Note.     And  should  be  land. 

P.  85.  Note.  Mass.  Hist.  Secy,  should  be  Mass.  Hist. 
Soc'y. 

P.  205.      Note  3.     Loya  should  be  Loyalists. 

P.  225.     Fantasque,  armed  enfute  should  be  enflute. 

P.  252.     Note  2.      Vestrede  Camp  should  be  Meslre  de  Camp. 

ADDENDA. 

Note,  p.  66.  The  Major  whose  name  Gen.  Heath  could  not 
remember  was  Capt.  Charles  Holby  Hubbard,  Paymaster  i6th 
Mass.  (Sargent's  Regiment).  He  was  killed  in  the  action. 

P.  74.  In  the  attack  on  Major  Rogers'  camp  the  Americans 
lost  four  killed  and  fifteen  wounded,  including  Major  Green, 
2d  Virginia,  and  Captain Pope. 


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LIBRARY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  DAVIS 

Book  Slip-70m-9,'65(F7151s4)458 


N°  423334 


Heath,  W. 
Memoirs . 


E230 

H4 

1901 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
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